It Happened One Night
by foreverdivine
Summary: Teen-aged Teddy Grey is fed up with the superficial girls at his high school, and even more so with the assholes he calls his "friends". One night he decides he's gonna show them all up. It's the night he meets the girl of his dreams. Too bad she comes with a price tag, too. It's only one night, but it'll last a life time.
1. It Happened One Night

It Happened One Night

**Teen-aged**** Teddy Grey is fed up with the superficial girls at his high school and even more so with the assholes he calls his "friends". One night he decides he's gonna show them all up. It's the night he meets the girl of his dreams. Too bad she also comes with a price tag. It's only one night, but it'll last a life time.**

**Disclaimer: I obviously do not own _Fifty Shades of Grey. _The characters, plot, and references pertaining to the trilogy are property of one E.L. James. Some characters are of my imagination and are not based on actual events. **

**Please read and review...I don't care if it's to tell me how awful my story is! I both welcome and appreciate all criticisms. And if you ever see a typo or something which does not make any sense, please TELL ME! I will immediately fix it! Thank you, thank you ~ Ava **

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Saturday November 18th 2027, 7:08pm

The mean streets of Seattle were crawling with those indie-rock/hippy guys, strange girls with nose rings, and homeless beggars rattling their change cups. What the fuck was I doing there? I didn't belong there that's for damn sure. My father would have had a heart attack if he saw me parading around with $1,000 dollars in my back pocket, two platinum credit cards, and a sign on my forehead that said "easy fucking target". My mom probably would've laughed.

It was 7:10 when this all started, when I first saw her, but the real beginning of this story was about two weeks prior. The announcement of our yearly winter dance had every girl trying to suck my dick to get a chance at being my date. I was sick of their bullshit. I finally decided I was not going to go to some stupid dance with some stupid girl to impress my stupid friends. That was until Liam Blake commented on how no girl really wanted to go out with me – they just wanted to date my money. It hurt me, really fucking bad. It's always been the one thing I've been most insecure about.

I'm pretty confident enough to say that I'm good-looking. I've got really blue eyes, kind of long copper hair, and a killer tan – though God knows where I inherited that! I'm also pretty jacked (go big or go home, as I like to say). I got good teethe and clear skin, too. I know girls are attracted to my looks - the ones who've never heard of me before, mainly. But the girls at school only care about all the nice shit they think they could get if they dated me.

I figured that I should just go somewhere where nobody knew who I was, find a cute girl, and ask to borrow her for an hour. I wouldn't take her to that dance, but I'd walk by all my "friends", make out with her a bit, and then walk on by like nothing happened. Plain and simple right? Ha. Ha. Ha. WRONG! Step one would be to ditch security, which would definitely not be easy.

My dad's a real hard-ass when it comes to being monitored at all times of the day. He probably records me while I sleep just to make sure I don't have a spaz-attack or some stupid shit like that. The saying "what could possibly go wrong?" has a whole new meaning when it comes to Christian Grey. The first time I noticed security was when Phoebe, Mom, Dad, and I went to the aquarium. I was about seven at the time, and Phoebe was too engrossed with the fucking "Nemo fish" that we literally sat by that tank for a half an hour. I just wanted to see the sharks, so I wandered off - well if you call "wandering" taking ten steps away from the family unit. Uncle Taylor, as I then referred to him, swooped me up and my dad gave me this insanely long speech about all the dangers of "wandering off". The rest of the day both "Uncle" Taylor and "Uncle" Sawyer were glued to my side. I never saw the sharks that day.

Ever since then I was always being shadowed by the Men in Black, as I now refer to them. My "personal security agent" (Dad's term for him) otherwise known as my "friend who looks out for you" (Mom's term), Saunders isn't nearly as bad as Taylor and Sawyer. He's really lenient about letting me go places with my friends, last week he didn't even sit in the theater with us when we saw the _Final Destination 23,000_. Even so, it still pisses me off having to go everywhere with him, and no matter how chill he is, he'd never let me walk around South Seattle.

I'm not going to go into detail about my escape because if someone finds this I can never use that brilliant plan ever again. I'll just leave you with the fact that I escaped without anyone knowing. I would now like to personally thank the _Bourne Trilogy _for their constant inspiration for new getaway plans!

The next part of my plan would be much more difficult, finding a girl. I figured the residents of South Seattle probably did not read much on the Grey family, so I took a cab to the more run-down part of the city.

7:08, I'm walking in a slight drizzle trying to find a girl amongst the strangest of characters. 7:09 I realize what a dumbass I am. What kind of guy would go pick up some random chick off the street, make out with her, and then send her home? I real prick – that's who. It was too late to turn back, I had to do this.

Across the street the sounds of heels clacking on the cement attracted my attention. There were two girls casually walking around, sharing a cigarette and laughing at the drunk-yard stumbling through the crosswalk. The one girl was kind of cute, tall blonde, you know the type, but she was a little too old for me. The other girl was short and very slender, with a cute little ass and small – but still noticeable – tits. (Yeah I know, Teddy get your mind outta the gutter, but, hey, a guy can look, right?) She had long, wavy, deep-red hair that was obviously dyed, but still looked gorgeous against her pale, flawless, skin. I couldn't see the color of her eyes, but that didn't matter, she was fucking perfect!

As luck would have it, she turned into a drycleaners and her friend stayed outside to finish the foul-smelling light stick. Now was my chance! Flagging Blondie down, I was met with a sly smile, one I didn't entirely trust.

"What can I do for you darling?" She purred with ease, I had a feeling it was a question she had asked often.

"That girl you were walking with, I was wondering if you could, well, hook me up." I didn't sound as confident as her, but then again why not go for shy and cute?

Blondie laughed haughtily and mocked, "Go home, baby you're mommy wouldn't want you running around here." I was getting a little ticked off at the Catwoman wanna-be.

"Is there something wrong with me? I think she'd like me to take her out." I countered using my dad's authoritative voice. She seemed taken aback by it, _good_.

"Nothing's wrong with you that's just the problem. Listen if you wanna get her, you gotta ask him." She said pointing to a building across the street.

"Why, does her dad not like her going out with random guys?" I asked totally serious. It didn't pose much of a dilemma; I'm a pretty good negotiator. I've won six out of eight debates in my public speaking class…

"Her daddy? Ha! You could call him that! Listen you don't wanna fool around with us, you be a good boy and go run home to mommy now." She sneered, but I could hear a hint of a pleading in her voice…odd.

I was too filled with pride to just go home with my tail between my legs; I would talk to this guy and get his permission to take his daughter out on the town. If this girl was anything like the others I've dealt with, she'd be more than happy to accompany me.

I quickly jogged across the busy road and up to the apartment complex's door. I knocked a few times and then prepared myself to act like the perfect gentleman. When the door opened, a large black dude was standing in the entryway. I felt myself instantly shrink. I had taken kickboxing lessons all my life, but some people – especially the ones from the inner-city – were just too intimidating. Maybe his skin color had something to do with what Barbie said about "You could call him that!" maybe the girl was adopted.

"Hello Sir. That blonde girl over there," I gestured to a now shocked-looking Blondie, "told me that I could ask you about taking your daughter out. I-" I was cut off instantly by his booming laughter.

"Boy you think that bitch is my daughter? God, kid what planet you from? You look like one of those pricks you see on Desperate Housewives or some shit like that. You're more than able to...uh…take her out. As long as you got the money." Now I really felt like a dumbass! She didn't look like a hooker, but it all made sense! So this guy - more like beast! – was her _pimp_! God, I really made myself look like a fool! I prayed for the ground to swallow me up, but it never did.

I should've left then, and forgotten all about this chick, but I didn't want to. I wanted to flaunt her around for an hour and kiss her full lips and make my friends jealous as fuck. And fuck, if there was one thing I did have it was money! Though I don't know where the hell my brain went.

"Alright then, Sir, I've got a new plan. I've got $700 here; I'll pay a hundred an hour. She'll be back here at two and no later than that. Will that be enough for you?" I asked using my Rico Suave voice; it gets my mom into letting me do whatever I want.

Apparently it worked for this guy, too. He smiled this wide smile and his eyes glowed so bright that they almost looked gold.

"Tell you what, man; I'll give her to you for seventy-five an hour. No one comes around here after three, anyways. Bring her here in the morning, and don't think you can pull that shit on me again, she usually brings in a shitload more." He growled the last sentence. I would've thought a Saturday night would mean big money for him and his, uh, _business_. Why he would give her away _so cheap_ made no sense to me, but, hell, I sure as fuck didn't care! My plan was working better than I had thought!

"You've got yourself a deal!" I smiled and slammed the seven bennies into his large hand. He looked shocked by my payment, but was quickly counting out the crisp bills. My dad would really be carving my headstone if he could see me now.

The pimp waved Blondie and my new "date" over, and they quickly came running, both girls looked fairly shocked. The three hurried inside the apartment without so much as a glance towards me. I decided to wait at the end of the stoop, and tried not to hightail it the fuck outta that place. I was starting to feel guilty for what I had done, but it was too late now. Besides, it wasn't like I was actually gonna screw this girl – I didn't want to take advantage of the situation – I was just taking her out. I probably would give her the best night she had had in a long time. Yeah, I would be the hero to the poor fair maiden tonight. Only difference was, when the night was over it would end in never seeing one another ever again, not a happily ever after.

The door opened again, and she came strolling down the stairs, not in a provocative way like you would expect, but with a little bounce in her step...it reminded me of Aunt Mia when she got that Michael Kors bag for Christmas. She wasn't dressed like trash either – she wore this white (how ironic) tank-dress, with a thin black coat over it, and black high heels. It looked like something from Forever 21, not Hookers R Us. Her makeup was simple, light eyeliner and blush-pink lipstick. Her cheeks weren't painted red, she wasn't covered in tattoos, she looked normal. Her hair was worn down which made me happy, I liked her hair. I idly wondered how old she was. Maybe eighteen or nineteen, she definitely wasn't twenty. _Dating an older woman, huh Teddy? Score! _

Suddenly, her walking came to an abrupt halt and she turned to face me, stopping my heart.

"Gee, you _really_ are young! That's okay, kid. I'd rather you be young than really old! Don't worry, we're gonna have fun tonight." She smiled, her voice as melodious as an angel's. Why was she a prostitute anyways? If she went to my school, every guy would be plying for her. She slung her arm through mine and continued to walk/skip towards the bus stop; a soft, reassuring grin coated her sweet, mocking mouth.

Green…her eyes were green.


	2. The Facts of Life

It Happened One Night

**Hi guys! Thanks everyone for checking out and reading my story (: Please leave some reviews/suggestions for me! Your opinions are greatly appreciated! ~Ava  
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~ The Facts of Life - 7:25 pm ~

Waiting for the bus was not something I was accustomed to and my patience was wearing thin. Not to mention that the weather was beyond frigid, occasionally a gust of wind would tickle my neck and crawl down my spine. I looked over at my companion (what else should I call her?) and instantly felt like a winy twerp. Her dress was so short that I could picture the air gliding over her legs, grazing her partially covered thighs, and tiptoeing over her tight ass..._Snap out of it, Grey!_

I don't usually entertain dirty thoughts about girls, and I saw no reason why this girl should be any different. She was a lady – despite what the pimp tried to sell her off as – and, therefore, should be treated with the utmost respect. My family, especially my father, constantly ingrained gentlemanly behaviors into my head. Though, I must admit that buying her for the bargained price of seventy-five an hour was not such a dignified act.

I felt kind of bad about not knowing her name, but I really wasn't sure as to how I would go about asking her such information. Let's be real here, I was only going to use her for bragging rights and she probably was expecting me to do a lot worse. Small talk would just seem fruitless.

I had already made up my mind that I wouldn't touch her in that way tonight. I may be a sixteen-year-old with raging hormones and a one-track mind, but I wasn't one to take advantage of a girl. If you really thought about it, she might as well be passed out drunk lying on the bathroom floor completely naked, completely exposed. She didn't have the option to say "no".

I looked over at her and my heart thawed. The top of her head barely reached my shoulder, just like Phoebe. Jack Frost's bite painted her cheeks and the tip of her nose a soft pink, it made me think of those small tots who are always bundled up on the slopes in Aspen. Her ability to look so young yet still so old astounded and pained me. And she called _me_ a kid!

She must have noticed my staring because she turned to look into my eyes and gave me a comforting smile. It confused me…why should I need to be comforted? I had forgotten her hand was clutching my arm until she gave it a soft squeeze. My mom squeezed my dad's hand when he was worried about something, which was frequent. It seemed nothing could calm my dad except my mom – her voice, her touch, her presence…he really must love her. Sometimes I question it though, especially when she doesn't go along with him 100% and he freaks out. It's usually over with a trip to the bedroom; I'm not an idiot, I know what goes on behind closed doors.

"In India, they don't bury the dead. They leave the bodies out in the fields to be eaten by vultures." She said out of nowhere.

"Morbid, much?" I couldn't think of anything better to say. Honestly, who the fuck brings _that_ up? My face must have reflected my thoughts since she started to giggle uncontrollably. I would never change my facial expression for the rest of my life if it got her to giggle like she did.

"I'm just babbling 'cause you seem irritated. The bus that travels outta this section of the city rarely shows up on time. We could be here all night." she explained once she regained her composer. Her eyes, however, were still brimming with humor. It was breathtaking.

"I'm not an avid bus-rider." I shrugged; this girl was really making it difficult to think of anything intelligent to say.

"Good thing I am…among other things." she winked. Looks like I'm not the only one with my head in the gutter. I chuckled at what I prayed was her idea of a joke. "Ah, so I finally get a laugh outta you." she whispered longingly. My laughter stopped and I think my heart flew out of my chest; I'm still looking for it.

"I'm not that easily amused." I told her honestly.

"Well lucky for you, I'm hilarious." Her eyes lit up once more, they really were a fabulous shade of green. _Mantis, Teddy! Jeez there's a difference between plain old green and mantis! _I could almost hear Phoebe yelling at me. The girl's very specific when it comes to her colors. All a part of her I-must-decorate-the-world program, I'm sure.

"What's your name?" I asked winded. I sounded like I just ran the 5k but I guess a hot girl does that to you, right?

"Glimmer," she bluntly stated. _Seriously? She must think you were born yesterday…_

She once again broken into a fit of laughter and I knew she was kidding. I had to smile, she was easy to like.

"I'm not a stripper," she explained shaking her head back and forth. "My name's Vivienne, but you can all me whatever you please."

"I like Vivienne, it's a pretty name." I whispered back.

Her last words had pained me so that I thought my body was on fire. For the first time tonight I was beginning to understand what she thought about our arrangement. She probably expected me to be one of those grimy guys, who paid for her service, did whatever the fuck they wanted with her, and then called her every disgusting name in the book. It made me angry – no, not angry, _furious_ – to think of somebody treating her like that. How could they when she smiled and laughed like she did? How could anyone hurt her when her small hand clutched tightly to their arm for dear life? Did she see me as one of those pieces of shit? I would change her mind about that.

"So, what do I call you, kiddo?" she asked, her voice suddenly sad. My anger thawed and dread instantly filled its void.

"Teddy, my name's Teddy." I wouldn't have her call me anything else, just the sound of my name on her lips would make me happy. In return, I'd only say her name – Vivienne – because it was the only thing I would ever want to say again.

"Adorable," she beamed.

The bus finally showed up, it was about fucking time; I could see Vivienne was freezing. She probably should have worn warmer clothes, but I selfishly liked the short dress she wore. _Asshole._

I gestured for her to hop on first; it made her raise her eyebrow in speculation. I guess chivalry really is dead. She had already paid our fare when I ascended the steps.

"Considering you carry seven $100 bills in your back pocket, I didn't think you had two fives." She winked and pulled me to two empty seats in the back. Her hands were frozen but, amazingly, still soft.

"You need exact change to ride?" I asked wide-eyed. There was just so many instances that I looked like a completely dumb-ass in front of her, and I've only known her for twenty-five minutes.

"Yes, silly. God, do you live under a rock?" She wasn't that far off. "Where you taking me anyways? I mean they're plenty of motels around here, you don't have to-"

I had to cut her off before she finished, my anger was boiling.

"We're not going to a motel or hotel or any such place. I'm not planning on, well," I looked around and lowered my voice, "sleeping with you tonight." She looked generally shocked by my expression.

"And I thought I had you all figured out, kiddo. I'm sure you didn't pay $700 for me to teach you how to ride a bus." She quipped.

"You've been an excellent teacher, incidentally. No, that's not the reason. When I first saw you, I didn't know I had to pay-" It was her turn to cut me off.

"I know, Tammy told me. I can't believe you thought Rodney was my dad!" Her laughter was the equivalent of adding salt to an open wound, but it was still so beautiful that the pain only lasted a moment.

"I wanna make my – my friends jealous. I just need to make out with you in front of them, and have it look like we're…um…fooling around." I could feel my face heating up, giving away my embarrassment. Unfortunately, I have inherited my mom's signature blush; it seemed to have the same effect on Vivienne that is does on my dad. Her eyes instantly softened, and she gripped my hand tighter.

"I don't know why you'd need to pay for me to do that, I'm sure there's a million girls who'd do it for free. Or pay to do it! But I'm glad you did. Now, listen up soldier, if we're gonna do this thing, we've gotta do it right."

I hung on her every word from then on out. She had this presence about her that demanded such attention; it just sort of crept up on you until you realized you couldn't bear to look away from her. It didn't matter to me that we were preparing to walk into the open field filled with hungry vultures, I had Vivienne and that was all that really seemed to matter now.

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**Thanks everyone for reading! Please review and tell me what you think and tell me anything that you think would make this story better(: ~ Ava **


	3. I Bring Thee a Song

It Happened One Night

**I just wanted to take this time out to thank everyone who read and reviewed! It really means so much to me! Some of you guys have already formed your own ideas on where this story is going…some of you are closer than others :P but then again, I don't even know where I'm going with this, so it's anyone's guess lol. **

**And to Kartika: that's what I get for trusting a Snapple Fact lmaoo thanks for the real info though(: **

**While I write I often listen to:**

**Free Fallin' – John Mayer's live version (who doesn't love John Mayer?!) **

**The A Team – Ed Sheeran (heartbreaking!)**

**Wonderwall – Oasis (oldie but goodie lol) **

**When you read along and listen to these songs it kind of sets the…tone?...yeah, tone I'm going for here lol! Please tell me what you guys think! ~ Ava**

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~ I Bring Thee a Song – 7:45 pm ~

The ride out of slum-ville was lengthier than I had expected, but I was certainly grateful for it gave Vivienne and me plenty of time to compile a plan. I must say, the girl was extremely resourceful and the bulk of our conversation was spent with her talking and me listening/ogling. What can I say? I like intelligent girls. I paid closer attention to her on that foul-smelling, death-in-a-box machine than I ever did to anyone else. I was quick to notice her little quirks: she combed her fingers through her hair when she was trying to think, she made a lot of hand gestures when she was excited or frustrated, and she had the adorable tendency to arch her right eyebrow whenever she felt slighted. She could be pretty darn intimidating when she wanted to. For instance, this little punk tried to sit in the seat in front of us in order to eavesdrop on our obviously intense conversation, she just fixed him with this cold stare and he practically bolted away from us. She turned back to me with nothing but mirth in her brilliant eyes, talk about pulling a Christian Grey on me!

We were now walking down Fifth Avenue, my arm draped over her shoulders to fight off the wintery air. She really was quite slender, I could easily fling her over my shoulder if I wanted to, and so could any man half my size. My brain steamed at the thought. Especially since I wasn't oblivious to all the men who stopped and stared at her as we walked by, I would _annihilate_ them. It angered me further that _she_ was not unconscious of their stares, as well. She knew just the effect she had on them all, including me. She didn't entertain their desires, nor did she seem to pretend to be ignorant of them, either. Everything about her walk, her look, and attitude gave off one message: _sorry boys I'm not interested_, and it only made her that much more desirable.

All the girls at school were hopeless flirts, who – even if they didn't return their attraction – smiled and winked and foolishly giggled at any guy who gave them attention. My mom and Phoebe were just the opposite. Guys were always checking out my mom - and very recently Phoebe, too – but she never noticed. In fact, whenever my dad pointed this out to her, she thought he was over exaggerating or just plain making it up. My dad may be fifty shades psychotic, but he doesn't just imagine horn-dogs looking at my mom, I see them, too. Though I must admit, I never really understood why my dad always got so angered by their attraction. I mean he was the one who had married Mom, and she never looked at anyone else the way she looked at him. It wasn't until I was walking with a steel grip around Vivienne's shoulders and practically challenging everything with a dick to an all-out brawl, that I understood the protective nature of Christian Grey.

Just picture for a moment that I didn't care if all these people eyeballed her. We would be strolling down the street humming along to "Here Comes the Sun", and I have my attention focused on some insignificant squirrel. Out of nowhere, some good-looking hotshot "accidentally" brushes up against Vivienne. I, of course, am too dim-witted to notice. He apologizes, pretending to be such a gentleman and she gets slightly dazzled by his intense gaze. She tries to avoid his eyes, focusing instead on his t-shirt. What luck! It displays a band she adores. They strike up a small conversation and find out they have the same taste in music, go fucking figure. I turn around to tell her something to find she is no longer there. She's now off gallivanting with Captain Fantastic and I'm alone, missing her.

That is what happens when you're not watching out for your girl, you lose her. Whether it's on her own accord, or some freak accident, or at the hands of some maniac, in the end, you lose her, forever. Dad must really love Mom to worry so much, but I didn't think I _loved_ Vivienne. I had just met her for Christ sake! Still, I cannot deny that there was something growing inside of me, and it's all because of this strange, green-eyed, Siren next to me. I was doomed; I would drown in this feeling because I could not resist her call.

Suddenly, I felt her small, feminine hands pull me back abruptly. Her eyes, then lime, were wide with fear. I realized my carelessness instantly; I almost walked straight through a crosswalk that signaled not to walk. Had she not stopped me, the large four-by-four that was bustling down the street, would have turned me into a Grey pancake.

"Jesus, can you watch where you're going?" she scolded. God, she really sounded like my father and it pissed me off.

I was about to snap back at her, like I usually do my dad in these situations, but her hand once again clutched my arm tightly, giving it a slight squeeze. Perhaps to reassure herself, this time, that I wasn't injured. The epiphany that she had shouted at me because she was scared and worried, was so startling that it left me speechless. When the light indicated it was time to walk, we both pealed our eyes from each other's and cautiously crossed the street.

"I-I didn't mean to yell at you like that. I guess I was just shocked is all. I'm sorry." She whispered gently.

"Thanks for pulling me back." I murmured. To think I had referred to her as a deadly Siren only a moment ago…

"Oh hush, it was hardly a big deal." She rolled her eyes. I _hate_ when people do that, it makes me feel like a goddamn imbecile.

I didn't have long to brood as our destination was approaching fast. Vivienne looked over to me and smiled.

"You ready to feed the sharks?" she giggled. The sound of her laugh calmed me. I nodded in response. _Yes, I'm ready._

The café on Third Avenue is my usual hangout spot. Every Friday night I come down here with some of my buddies and we listen to the new bands play. They only let the really good ones perform here, and I typically leave with a new album downloaded to my phone.

I have two groups of amigos: my actual friends and my I-only-talk-to-you-when-I-need-to friends. The actual ones all either now attend college or go to the boarding schools up north, away from the city. My "sort of" friends are the ones I go to school with, the ones I secretly loathe, the ones I'm about to mind-fuck.

We both came to an abrupt halt and got into position – she stood in front of me and both of my hands rested on either side of her slender waist. The door opened with a little chime of a bell that was drowned out by the indie rock tune playing overhead. I leaned into her ear, just as I was instructed, and explained where to sit. She turned smiling this jaw-dropping grin and sashayed over to the table directly across from my group of friends. They stared at her with their eyes bulging out of their sockets, she pretended not to notice – and she did a fine job at it.

I wondered if she ever seriously considered acting, she was pretty talented when it came to deception. Though where she learned that, I felt I didn't want to know.

Breezing through the line, I ordered and waited for our coffees, we had already discussed the way she liked hers – extra cream, no sugar. We would occasionally hold each other's gaze and then this goofy smile would split across my face, forcing me to turn away in embarrassment. _For fuck's sake, Teddy, get a goddamn grip!_ This girl really knew how to get in my brain and fuck it up!

It felt like an eternity before I was standing before her again. She looked up and smiled, my frazzled brain and racing heart could barely contain their ecstasy. My back was to the pack of pricks giving them the opportunity to eye-fuck my "date".

"Are they staring?" I asked her leaning in.

"Mmhmm. They certainly look surprised," she giggled and rolled her eyes at their idiocy.

"You really do have the loveliest eyes – they're such a unique shade of green. When you roll your eyes they get darker, but I personally like them better when you laugh – they look like two limes swirling in lemonade." I don't know what prompted me to get all gushy, but before I could seriously regret my observation she smiled this shy smile and turned a light shade of pink. It was completely genuine making it all the more beautiful to look at.

"That has to be the best compliment I've ever received." Her voice was so hushed, so soft that if voices were objects, hers would be a cloud – so easily carried by the wind as it touches the heavens.

Those beautiful orbs quickly darted away from my gaze and focused over my head, denying me their full beauty. She nervously sipped her coffee, which left a frothy mustache on her upper lip. Inspiration hit me as I leaned over our tiny table and ran my tongue over the line, wiping off the foam. Her teeth captured my bottom lip and tugged, hard. I reciprocated, biting down on her top lip. I had never kissed a girl like this before, and I had to concentrate extremely hard not to get, well, _hard_. She didn't make it easy, her tongue was tangoing perfectly with mine and she tasted so fucking good! I idly remembered her chain smoking earlier that evening, but there was no evidence of that foul thing ever being near her. She smelled – and tasted – of strawberries…incredibly ripe strawberries.

She broke away from my mouth and trailed her lips and tongue over towards my ear where she panted,

"They just can't _stop_ looking! Change of plans, stand up quickly and pull me up with you, and then make a beeline for the door. They're going to stop you to talk, but you have to act like it's almost painful to. Just try and rush through their chatter and then we'll run outta here like the place is on fire."

That was easy enough – my hormones were already begging for more. I couldn't help but chuckle as I thought of what we would look like having a steamy make-out session and then running out of here…we would look like we were going to have sex, that's what! I hopped out of my seat, grasped her hand, and pulled her to stand. We both hurried to the door and froze when, as she predicted, we heard the douche-bags call my name. _Show time, Grey._

Turning with a bewildered expression plastered on my face, I could see for the first time their absolute shock at the situation before them. Their eyes darted from Vivienne to me as if they were trying to find some excuse for our behavior. _Well, she certainly isn't my cousin, fuck-tards. _

"H-hey guys," I uttered. _And the Oscar goes to…_

"We were looking for you before, but your mom said you weren't feeling well…" Jeremy said as his eyes focused on Vivienne. _Look at me, asshole!_

"Yeah, we figured you were probably off studying or some lame shit like that." Andrew piped in.

"Of course we would've never thought you'd be with _someone_." Jeremy mumbled; he still hadn't removed his gaze from Vivienne, my fists clenched involuntarily.

"Did you make up your mind about the dance yet? Fucking Marie keeps pestering me about setting you up with that chick Aubrey and I really don't feel like listening to my girlfriend's shit. So would you do a guy a favor and show-the-fuck-up tonight?" Lucas spoke from the farthest corner of the table.

Lucas' girlfriend, Marie, was this really pretty blonde girl who had a tendency to get what she wanted when she wanted it from everybody. I think Luke just went along with whatever she told him to because he'd rather not face her wrath. Marie didn't have many redeemable qualities but, in all fairness to her, she had to put up with all of Lucas' shit. He was not the type of boyfriend to actually show affection for his girl in public, and I wondered if he was like that in private too. Anyways, Marie had this friend Aubrey who was another petite blonde chick who had guys coming after her from all different directions. She, however, had this thing for me. Under normal circumstances I'd take her out and see if I had an interest in her as well, but this girl just irked me. She never seemed to have any regards for anyone but herself. I don't like selfish girls. I have all these ideas on how to help people and improve the world of which we live, and I'd like to be with someone who wants that too.

"Sorry, man I'm busy." My head tilted slightly in Vivienne's direction.

"Whatever just don't expect me to do you any favors in the future," he mumbled. When the Hell does he ever do me a favor?

He then tried to hook Aubrey up with Jeremy (who still couldn't take his eyes off Vivienne!) but he declined saying he'd rather not fuck a girl who's had sex with Pat. Andrew chimed in stating that was an impossible find since almost _every_ girl has had sex with Pat. My mind quickly wandered to Vivienne…had she? He noticed my glare on him, a broad smile grew on his lips.

"Who's your _friend_?" Pat asked in his fake, chipper voice. Pat thought that because he was quarterback, it automatically gave him the right to flirt, fuck, and forget every girl in the tri-state area. I watched him look her up and down provocatively, obviously enjoying what he saw.

"This is Vivienne." _That's all you'll be getting from her – her name._

The rest of the group murmured still-shocked "hellos" forcing Vivienne to turn to them and give them a half-hearted "hi". She really looked like she needed my dick, now! _Too bad she's only faking it; she wouldn't touch your cock with a ten-inch pole. _

She pulled me from my snarky subconscious and asshole friends, as she practically dragged me out of the café, both of us calling back a careless "bye!"

As soon as we were nowhere in my friends' sight, she snatched her hand from mine and stormed down the street. I was completely shocked, not to mention hurt, and I tried to replay what had happened over and over, looking for where I may have disrespected her. Before I could reach a conclusion, she stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and turned to me, her face fuming but eyes pained.

"You call those sacks of shit your friends?" she practically screamed. I was dumbfounded by the idea that it wasn't I who had incensed her. I still had not recovered when she began to speak again, more quietly now, but still hysterical. "For God sakes they looked at you like-like…How can you possibly deal with those-those…Don't you know that you deserve much better than that?"

In that instant, everything changed. My heart warmed with the prospect that she cared for me, she would never had said those things if she did not. Those jumbled sentences and questions made me feel more alive than anything or anyone before them. They made me feel wanted, and desired, and _loved_. Loved… _She_ made me feel loved. _She_ made me feel alive. She made everything feel worthwhile. I could go to school every day and tolerate those pricks, I could deal with my dad's constant pestering for the rest of my life, and I could face death and Heaven and Hell for all eternity, because _she_ cared for _me_.

She cradled my face in her tiny, smooth hands, her eyes pouring into mine. "Promise me you won't let them treat you like that anymore." She begged. She knew how they made me feel every single fucking day; _she_ knew when no one else did.

The urge to kiss her grew wildly within me. I _had_ to kiss her, not because I had paid for it, or because I wanted to impress someone, but because I wanted her to feel like she made me feel. I wanted her to know that _I_ cared. I _needed_ her to know.

I walked her backwards into an empty lot and then relinquished all of my desire on her mouth. She reciprocated instantly – it was too much, a hurricane colliding with a tornado. Her lips felt so soft yet behaved so rough! She was everything, she was everywhere! She released my lips to give us both a moment to breathe, but both of our mouths traveled to the other's neck, cheeks, nose… I repeated her name over and over in a husky whisper, my voice growing darker and darker in response to her soft moans of pleaser.

A car horn blared in the distance waking me from my lover's daze. Taking in my surroundings, I was instantly angered at what I had done. She deserved better than to be fondled in some alley for the whole city to see. I pulled away from her and as I did a strange, haunting feeling came over me.

"We've got the whole night ahead of us. Tell me where you wanna go – anywhere – I'll take you." I promised.

Confusion painted her face until the familiar warm coyness returned in her eyes. She seemed to be contemplating her answer, perhaps she was frightened of what exactly my words had implied. I so wanted to wipe away those distrustful feelings from her mind, but I knew it was futile – there must have been too many instances where she had been used. I would not be such an instance; she would decide everything from now on.

"The moon!" she cried out suddenly. Her head thrown back and arms open wide with a slight giggle resting in her tone. "Take me to the moon!" she pleaded.

Then I would bring her to the moon. Offering her my arm, we began to leisurely walk towards our destination. I knew just where to find the moon she so craved.

The air around us grew colder and I was worried that her thin coat would not be enough to warm her frail figure. I held her closer to my body, sending shivers of excitement through my chest. _Calm, Teddy, calm._ From the opened door of a music store the new single from my all-time favorite band seeped out into the streets. Someone was beautifully humming the melody, someone very close to me; Vivienne? I could see her smiling softly as she continued to hum. _Don't stop, please, don't stop_, I begged over and over in my head. She did not hear my silent pleas. The humming ceased as she turned her head to look at me.

"Don't you just get goose-bumps from that? It's awe-inspiring." I couldn't answer her; my voice would just ruin the exquisiteness of the moment – the exquisiteness of her. It seemed all I wanted to do was press my lips to the top of her head – so that's exactly what I did. A sudden thought crossed my mind, calling forth a lopsided smile to take over my mouth; _we had the same taste in music,_ _go fucking figure_.


	4. That's Amore

It Happened One Night

**Howdyy! Okayy so I know a lot of you guys want to hear Vivienne's side of events…but I feel like if I let you know what she's thinking it will ruin the whole story here folks! So I will compromise…every so often at the end of the chapter, I will give you a little flashback of Vivienne's that has nothing to do with the events surrounding her and Teddy but will just give you a glimpse into what she's all about. Thanks for you continued support! ~ Ava :D**

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~ That's Amore - 8:25pm ~

"I've gotta feeling we've been walking around in circles, kiddo."

My eyes narrowed in frustration, I didn't need Vivienne to insinuate what I already knew – I had no idea where the fuck I was going. You've got to give me some credit here; I had never been given free range in my own home let alone the city of Seattle. I was trying to go off of what I remembered from my trip here last spring, but with Taylor going NASCAR on us it was a tad bit difficult to focus on anything specific.

"Why don't you just tell me where you're _trying_ to take me? I probably know how to get there better than you do." Vivienne suggested. She didn't sound annoyed, in fact she seemed to find this all very entertaining.

"Have you the slightest idea of what a surprise entails?" I asked aggravation thick in my voice. Though I could do without her constructive criticism, I wasn't angered by her at all - only by me and my dumbass self.

"Hmm…well where I come from a surprise usually means seeing or experiencing something you haven't before. Which is why I'm a little confused that we've been walking down the same street for ten minutes, am I missing something here, kiddo?" Ha, ha, ha! Very funny, Vivienne!

I stopped walking and closed my eyes tight breathing in and out steadily. _Breathe, Grey, breathe. _If I wasn't making myself look so goddamned stupid I would've found the humor in her words, but I was too exasperated at the moment to do so. Vivienne had registered my mood by now and grasped my hand in understanding.

"You've gotta cell phone right? Just use the GPS, most phones have that nowadays." She offered, patting my hand softly.

A smile broke across my face; I most certainly had such tools! Why had I forgotten about that? After the spectacle my dad made with our carriers about having the five second tracking device instead of the ten second, I should have committed such James Bond tools to memory.

"_Christian, it's not really that big of a deal. Just use this feature while they work on the upgrade. Two days isn't going to affect us much." Mom had said trying to spare the poor tech girl the full wrath of Christian Grey. Phoebe and Sawyer just laughed while Taylor, Mom, and I looked at Dad and prayed for divine intervention. _

"_Yes. It. Is. What if, God forbid, you or Teddy or Phoebe is lost somewhere? Five seconds can be the difference between getting home and being brought home in a body bag." That's my dad, always looking on the bright side._

"_When the hell do any of us ever get to go out anywhere in the first place?" I shouted trying to get old unreasonable to see reason. I thought he was going to die of shock, my mom beamed with pride, and Taylor was having trouble breathing through his laughter. _

Now I thanked my lucky stars that good old Pops was as paranoid as he was rich. As I pulled out my phone and tapped the GPS navigator, I saw Vivienne stand up on her tip toes to read over my shoulder. When she realized she had been caught snooping, she quickly flashed me her most dazzling smile.

"Have I piqued your interest, Miss Vivienne?"

She wrinkled her nose in response to my witty question.

"I just wanna make sure you're not planning on taking me some place stupid. It'll save you the embarrassment if you tell me, _Teddy_." Her emphasis on my name did strange things to my body. She knew exactly what to say to get what she wanted, and she knew how to say it.

"Trust - it's all about trust my dear."

Regret – that was all I felt in that awkward moment when my words still hung in the air between us. Why would she trust me? How _could_ she trust me? I put myself up on this pedestal with every piece of trash that had ever touched her placed below me. I didn't belong on that imaginary throne; I belonged with the filth - in Hell. I did not deserve her precious trust, but I wanted to. I would strive to gain it rightfully so.

Her wide eyes stared straight into mine. A glassy coating took away their striking lime and left her with a smooth pistachio iris. She blinked several times in rapid succession before she finally shut them closed, blocking my gateway to her mind. _What was she thinking?_

I turned away in shame. I turned away in cowardice. So it shocked me to my core when I felt her arm link itself onto mine, once more. I couldn't have faced her fast enough to satisfy my curiosity. My eyes met straight with hers, their excitement and confusion reflected by her green serenity. Her lips twitched into a sweet smile causing me to helplessly return the action.

"I trust you, Teddy. Now get us the hell outta here," she giggled and motioned for me to lead the way.

It's strange how a person can become so detached from reality. I continued to walk, to see and hear all that was around me, I could feel her holding onto me, but - God knows - my brain wasn't registering any of it! All I could think of was her words – my prayers, her trust – my aspiration. The doubts I had felt earlier, the doubts I still had in myself – in our situation, ceased for one timeless moment. One I was sure to never forget. I drowned in the euphoria, I did not want to surface.

But one does not always get what one wants, and I was suddenly rushed back into reality, my endless pool of elation far behind me. In its place stood Vivienne, the cause of all this havoc…this beautiful havoc. I wondered if she knew just what sort of magic she weaved in those little hands of hers, those soft hands.

"The Seattle Science Center? _This_ is my surprise? Maybe we should work on your ideas of romance, kid-I mean Teddy." She scoffed as we approached the huge dome-like structure.

"Science can be very sexy," I wiggled my eyebrows. She laughed outrageously, shaking her head from side to side in defeat.

"Ah, so I finally get a laugh outta you." Well a laugh that resulted from my joke and not my stupidity.

"I'm not that easily amused," she mocked my voice.

"Well lucky for you, I'm hilarious."

It was nice to throw around words we had said in the not-so-distant past. It seemed to strengthen whatever bond that was forming between us; a dangerous bond, but one that I welcomed – one that I craved.

I paid for our entry fee without having to wait in some tedious line. I figured this place wouldn't be packing them in since it was past eight on a Saturday. The vendor took one hungry look at Vivienne and then reminded me in a snarky tone that the center closed at nine. _You look at her one more time and I'll permanently remove your eyeballs from their sockets. _

"You sure made that guy quake, I'm glad. You make me feel safe." She whispered as she rested her head on my shoulder.

"Fucking too many of those pricks, if you ask me." I grumbled thinking of all those eyes that had watched her today. I had unconsciously decided that I was the only one who had the right to look at her and think about her, even though I was thinking just as disgustingly as all those other dicks. But it was _me_ who made her laugh, it was _me_ who made her feel safe, it was _me_ who held her trust, it was _me_ and not _them_.

"Well you can't kick everyone's ass." She rolled her eyes, irritating me further.

"Who says?"

Replaying my own words in my head I couldn't help but chuckle, _just like a crazy person_. Vivienne crooked her eyebrow so high I thought it would touch her hairline.

"Everyone always says I have my mom's calm head and rational thinking. My dad's like completely off the grid when it comes to being reasonable. And it's like the more time I spend with you, the more I sound like him. Crazy bastard." I laughed until my words were stripped of their humor. I never wanted to be like my dad.

Like she knew what I was thinking, like she felt my sorrow, Vivienne gave me one of her famous comforting squeezes and then whispered, "I think if you're anything like your dad then he must be a wonderful person."

"Do you know that I wasn't allowed to come here on my first grade field trip because my nutcase of a father was too concerned that it wouldn't be secure enough to keep a proper eye on me?" I seethed at the memory. "Do you know how humiliating it is to tell your friends that you can't go to a fucking museum because it's too dangerous?"

"I know this guy who almost kicked the shit outta every male resident of Seattle because they were looking at me. Damn crackpot didn't even think I'd notice," she smiled widely. "I think you do crazy things when you care about someone, sometimes you just can't think rationally. Everybody gets that way."

So she knew that I "cared" about her. I wasn't sure that I was too happy about that. It's one thing for me to feel a certain way and know that she'd never reciprocate, but it's a whole other thing for her to know I feel that way and not feel it either. Pathetic, that's what I must look like.

Like so often her words had done something strange to me. _Mind-fucked._ My dad was irrational because he didn't want me to get hurt, because he didn't want my mom to up and leave him, because he didn't want somebody to take advantage of Phoebe. Was she right, did everyone get like this when they cared? I had to know…

"What about you? Have you ever done anything stupid because you cared about someone?"

She seemed to mull over my questions. Lost in thought, her face finally gave everything away. Yes, she _had_ done something stupid and it pained her to think of what. She snapped out of her thoughts as quickly as she entered them. First her guard went up and then the humor crossed her face…she didn't like people to know what she was really thinking. She hid behind a mask of her choosing.

"I was about ready to kick the shit outta those friends of yours. Not to mention some chick named Aubrey." Her nose wrinkled at the thought.

I couldn't stop laughing. Yes, she had to be making _that_ up. It was just a front to distract me, or her, from what she truly felt.

"Now we've got only twenty minutes of science time, so let's make it count!" I smiled, wearing _my_ mask – _my_ front.

I clasped my hand over her eyes and she squealed in protest. It did nothing to deter me – I already had her trust. Occasionally she would rattle off some comment on how this was considered a "violation of personal space" and she could "have me arrested for assault _and_ kidnapping".

"All in the name of science" was my only comeback.

The opening to our exhibit stood right before me, but I still held her for a moment longer. Would she think this was corny? _It is corny, jackass. Is this how you plan on getting what's up that dress? Maybe she _should_ teach you a thing or two on the art of seduction…she would know..._

Fucking subconscious was definitely pissing me off. I don't know when my own insecurities started to attack everyone else, but I sure as hell would put an end to that now!

"Okay, we're here." I whispered in her ear, my lips so close to her soft skin.

"Here, where?" Her voice was husky creating some recently familiar stirrings in my stomach.

I released the hand that blocked her vision and lightly guided her into the dark room with illuminated displays. I couldn't contain my jubilation as I cried out, "The moon!"

Vivienne entered a dream-like state as she slowly walked further into the chilled room. We were the only ones in there. The white of her dress glowed neon blue along with my pearly white sneakers. I studied her as a nerd would the contents of the room, as a lion would a zebra, as my dad would my mom…

Her back to me, she touched the moon rock through the appropriate hole in the casing. The stroking of her finger on the rough surface did disturbing things to my…uh…you get the picture...

To shake off those thoughts I focused on her hair – it was so long, and I would have bet all of my inheritance that it was as soft as silk. Suddenly, my eyes were now trained on her face. A single tear strolled down her pink cheek. I didn't want to wipe it away; it was a sign of her emotions, her unguarded emotions.

"You listened to me. You-you asked me where I wanted to go, and I-I said…I said…" More tears flowed down her face now, I wanted to collect every single one and worship each at her feet.

"Nobody ever listens – nobody ever _cares_ enough to listen…why do you? Why?"

When I was a little kid I used to watch old movies because my dad said they were better than any of the shit Hollywood produced today – which I had to agree with. Every other week I got to pick the movie, and every week in between was Phoebe's turn. She always picked the typical film noir movies and I usually dreaded when it was her week. One night she picked out this movie _Giant_ because James Dean was in it and James Dean "can teach you a thing or two about how to be cool" at least, that's what Phoebe said. Anyways, I always remember the one scene where Jett (Dean's character) is drilling the oil. There's nothing at first and he grows more and more frustrated, until there's this build up of tension. The well just sort of rattles for a moment and then explodes!

That's how I felt standing there before her, all of my words bubbled on the brink of release and I was about to set them free. I was about to tell her every gentle thought, every beautiful look, every sweet emotion that accompanied her. But just as soon as I was ready to release the golden truth – she stopped me.

"No – no don't tell me! It's enough, it's enough that you care." The tears hadn't stopped and I wasn't too sure if they were of happiness or remorse – perhaps they were a little of both.

Maybe I should have told her despite her demands not to, but I had already made a promise to myself that it would all be her choice. If she wanted to know then I'd tell her, but she didn't so I wouldn't.

She ran into my arms and kissed me sweetly on the cheek – it wasn't the grand lovers' embrace I had envisioned but I'd take any affection she'd give me. We explored every artifact. She made me walk like I was on the moon saying we had to be "realistic". She didn't care how ridiculous we looked so neither did I.

"You're Neil Armstrong and I'm the second guy to walk on the moon." She pointed at the photo of the Apollo 11 crew and laughed.

"Why do you wanna to be him? Nobody remembers him..." I tried to mimic her eyebrow arch which made her laugh harder.

"Because if we really were on the moon you wouldn't let me off the spacecraft until you made sure it was safe." She rolled her eyes and I had to agree with her on that one – when it comes to her I can be just as paranoid as my father.

Even though we had seen all that could be seen, Vivienne remained on the moon, on our moon. She still couldn't get over the tiny lunar rock; her focus always seemed to return back to it. She was so captivating when she was lost in her own thoughts, too captivating. She drew me in and I would never fight her pull. Before I could even hope to stop myself from being a massive dick, I was standing behind her and enveloping her delicate body in my anxious arms.

"Don't," she breathed sharply. "Don't make this more than what it really is. You don't have to pretend. I-I shouldn't've gotten so personal," she walked out of my embrace nearly shattering my heart. "I shouldn't've been so stupid."

"I'm not pretending anything." It was all I could say, but I knew whatever was growing between us had died. She wouldn't see this as anything more than business, her kind of business. No, no not _hers_! That fucking pimp's, _his_ business!

"Then you're brainless," I knew that already. "It'd be better if you were pretending," she hissed.

"I like you, I like you a lot." I might as well tell her now.

"Like somebody else, somebody from your world - some little prude who can go to your daddy's functions or read books with your mommy, or talk fashion with your little sister." Shit! She fucking knew! She knew who I was and it killed me, just fucking killed me.

"How'd you know about my family?" I asked as I tried to fight the urge to hurl that fucking rock at the wall.

"I've seen them in the magazines, surprisingly I can read." She thundered, her anger flashing through her lovely eyes creating streaks of yellow in her flawless green pools.

Before I could do anything else, she was walking out the door. Just as a lost puppy, I followed my only promise of home. She didn't want me for who I was, she didn't want me at all. She didn't want me because of what _she_ was.

I was practically steeping on her heels I was so close behind her. I was just too afraid that she would run off. It was so cold and without the warmth of my body I knew she was going to freeze. _Turn around. Please, please, please just look at me. _

Why was it so dark? I looked up towards the sky and found my answer. The moon – the moon was gone.

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They're fighting _again_, he's threatening to leave _again_, she's crying _again_, and it's my entire fault _again_. She always gets along with them at first and then, usually after six months, the fights start brewing. They've never been violent, she's not that stupid, but they certainly are hurtful.

My mom is the only person who can make my day brighter, she smiles and the sun comes out. It's always been just the two of us. That's my fault too because if I didn't exist, if that condom didn't break, my biological father would've stuck around. I know she loved him a lot because sometimes she just talks and talks about him like he's some sort of dream that she's desperately trying to remember. She doesn't blame me for it, though she should, and sometimes I forget that it's not normal to be without a dad. Mom, G-ma and Pops is all I will ever really need.

"Always love yourself first, worry about everyone else later." That was about as philosophical as my mother ever got, but it was a philosophy that had always stuck with me.

I was about three when she started dating again. She never brought strange men home or neglected me for some random dude. It was usually nothing more than a Friday night out every month or so with someone she had met through someone else.

She wouldn't introduce me to any of them unless they were serious. I guess she didn't want me to think that having a new strange man coming in and out of your house every other week was respectable behavior. Some of those guys were really nice, but they usually just threw me a bone to impress my mom. Some of those guys were real assholes who tried to get my mom to leave me home alone when I was six so he could give her a bone. Those guys were usually dumped before you could finish the sentence "go fuck yourself".

She was currently dating Richard III some asshole that worked in marketing at some nice firm and brought home an equally nice pay. I call him Richard III because he was the third Richard that she had dated. There was rich Richard who made a killer living as an executive of Ferrari. I always wished that she kept with him long enough to see my sixteenth birthday because I figured she could get me a car out of him. Then there was dick Richard who was just that – a dick. And now she was with this guy.

They were fighting over what she always fights about with her men; something along the lines of they want her to leave me to myself for a certain amount of time so they can be alone. Richard III over here wanted to take her on a vacation to the Bahamas. I really wouldn't have a problem with being sent to my grandparents for one week but my mom seems to think I would.

"There's not one single person in this entire world who could mean more to me than you do." She once whispered in my ear as I wept over the idea that her previously failed relationship was a failure because of me. As touching as her words had been, they did nothing to change my mind.

Seventeen and still a burden to the one person who I have cared the most for in my entire life, I had to let her alone. I packed my bag and grabbed enough cash to get me across state lines, my eyes set on Seattle. I could do something there, maybe I could waitress. High school and college would have to be on the back burner for now, though I couldn't think of a time when I would pick them back up again…

But I couldn't continue to hear her cry and know it was me who was the cause - me who was an absolute nobody that meant nothing to anybody. It seemed all I was able to do was cause pain. I wouldn't hurt anybody else anymore.

It was the middle of the night when I left, the air was so cold. Everything was so dark …why? I looked up towards the sky and frowned, the moon was nowhere in sight.

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**Soooo…..what did ya'll think? Please feel free to leave some reviews because I really appreciate your input(: thanks lovies! **


	5. We Can Fly!

It Happened One Night

**Hi everyone! I'm so happy that you guys all enjoyed the blurb of Vivienne's thoughts! I didn't include it in this chapter…maybe the next one hmm...idk yet lol! Tell me if you are just dying for some VPOV lol! As usual I hope you all enjoy this new chapter and please, pretty please review and leave me some suggestions for future ones! I absolutely love reading them! **** ~ Ava**

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~ We Can Fly! – 8:50pm ~

The weather was beyond frustrating – the temperature felt below freezing, the numbing cold intensified by the strong winds that blew about. Someone next to me muttered something about expected rainfall. That would be my fucking luck!

She had stopped her power walking a few blocks back but I was certain that she would have left me if she could - if I hadn't paid for her precious time. She told me not to pretend it was something other than what it really was and I had grown so cold that I was starting to do just that. Let's get this all out in the fucking open why don't we? She was a prostitute, a _whore_, a goddamn whore! And I fucking _paid_ for her. That's all it was – all that it would have been if I could have just seen her as what she took herself for. Deep in my heart, I didn't think of her as a whore. She was too beautiful, too kind, and too wondrous to ever be such a nasty thing. A prostitute – yes, but a whore – no and all the evidence to support my claim came from her own sweet mouth. _She_ had gotten "personal". I was more than $700 and an easy lay to her. I was laughter, I was caring, I was feelings, I was listening – everything she had never had before. Everything that I didn't even know existed until she came along.

"Stop," I told her when we reached the end of the city square.

Surprisingly she listened; stopping several paces away from where I stood, she still refrained from turning to face me. I could see she had wrapped her arms around herself and it made me worry that she may get sick or something from being out here too long in that very tiny dress. If I hadn't been in such an urgent mood to say what I needed to say, I probably would have gotten hard just looking at her in that tastefully short dress. _You have some serious issues, can't you see she's fucking freezing?! _One voice shouted in my head as another commented on how I could warm her up…

"I paid the $700 which means I decide how this night goes," she shook slightly at my harsh tone but I did not even pause to dwell. "I already paid in full; you don't have to be here go wherever you please. I'm deciding to let you decide. You fucking choose." I was really angry and really hurt, but most of all really scared. I gave her two options – to stay or to go, and I was truly terrified that she would choose the latter.

At my words she had spun around to look at me, tears forming in her twinkling green eyes. They made my brain travel elsewhere to _the_ _green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us _the very thing that had annoyed me so much about _The Great Gatsby._ This Gatsby guy loves the unattainable and yet he still tries to attain it. Would that be me, forever trying to find love in those green eyes but knowing that it was never meant for me? Would I become that pathetic? Somehow I didn't care how pathetic I might grow because I had already decided that I'd do anything to win her love. Even if it meant letting her go back to that apartment she calls home with its pimp and whores and nightly visitors.

"Don't be ridiculous, I have to stay here, I can't just go back," she defended. _Oh no, the only way you're staying with me is if you want to. _

"You think that fucking asshole gives a shit what you do tonight? He got his, now you can get yours. You can go do whatever the fuck you want. You can be as _personal_ as you want." I sneered. God I was really making it difficult to want to stay with me! But if she really did _like_ me then she wouldn't be put off when I acted like a dick.

"I shouldn't," she breathed as I ceased to do so. It was over, she was leaving.

"But I want to," she whispered suddenly pulling me from my self-pity.

"You're gonna stay?" I asked trying to get the hope out of my voice. _Way to be subtle there, Teddy!_

She nodded. _Nope, that's not good enough, baby!_

"Tell me; tell me you wanna stay here with me." _Demanding little prick aren't you, Teddy? _

"I wanna stay with you. I'm _going_ to stay with you," she clarified. _That's my Vivienne!_

"Why?" I had her reeled in this far, I wasn't about to let go of the line just yet!

"I wouldn't wanna be anywhere else," she mumbled, her eyes downcast.

I smiled widely and when she noticed this, she frowned.

"Teddy, you don't get it this isn't sup-" But I wasn't about to listen to that bullshit. I stalked over to her and collided my lips with hers, cutting her off.

She was so soft, so sweet, and so thought-stopping! Who am I? Where was I? It didn't seem to matter anymore, I didn't even exist! It was only her, she was my everything. She was kissing me back! I had feared she wouldn't…

It was her choice now, she could have pulled away but she didn't. She desired to kiss me as I desired to kiss her. I tried to spread the heat that had suddenly come over me by wrapping my arms around her. I pulled away instantly!

"You're a fucking ice sculpture! Come on we've gotta get you someplace warm. You hungry?" I wondered if my dad's psychotic nature was thrown into the gene pool because I sure did sound like him. It didn't even bother me at this point since I couldn't afford to be too careless when it came to Vivienne.

"Famished," she clutched her waist in exaggeration.

"I'll take you anywhere. What are you in the mood for?" I tried to think of all my mom's favorite restaurants, though we would have been in danger of running into one of my dad's fellow executives if we went to any of them, but I really didn't give a shit at this point.

"I know just the place! Come on, kiddo we don't wanna miss the bus!"She exclaimed, pulling me back down to central Seattle.

I groaned in exasperation, "I thought we already established that I'm not a bus kinda guy."

"How could I forget? Let me go grab the limo for you, Your Highness," she bowed her head, her voice thick with sarcasm. When I crooked my eyebrow in response she nudged me playfully with her arm and giggled. I could feel my eyes growing wider as I was graced with the most beautiful melody in the world.

Her attitude was just too infectious and I couldn't help but join in on the banter. I wrapped my large arms around her in a tight hold, her back to my front. She tried to struggle out of my hold, whining my name, her sweet ass occasionally bumped into my crotch area, waking my toy soldier up to salute.

"Are you trying to attack me, crazy woman?" I mocked as I tightened my grip which only made her laugh and thrash around more. "That's it! You're a serious hazard," and she was. Everyone who met her was in danger of falling in love with her, and I had already taken the plunge.

I spun her around quickly, making her dizzy I think, before I slung her over my right shoulder and continued to walk towards the bus stop. The pedestrians all stopped to look at us; I impulsively turned to make sure Vivienne's ass wasn't completely exposed. _Bad idea, bad idea!_ My brain shouted as my cock grabbed his binoculars to enjoy the show. Thankfully she was covered, not that it made her any less scrumptious. Her squeals only made me more horny thinking about all the ways I could make her squeal. _Yeah, you and your virgin sexpertise,_ my subconscious snickered.

When I finally came to the stop, nobody was there which suited me just fine. I didn't need anybody else trying to get a piece of what was now inches away from my face. Abruptly pulling me from my twisted train of thoughts were Vivienne's frigid hands gliding up my back under my sweater. I contorted my body several ways trying to escape her icy touch which jostled her along with me.

"Fuck, baby! Quit it!" I yelped as her hands reached higher, clearly enjoying my response. I prayed a silent prayer up to God that she wouldn't dwell on the pet name I called her when my brain wasn't working properly. When the fuck _was_ it working when she was around?

"We need exact change for the bus, here." She removed her hands from my body (which both pleased and saddened me greatly) and pulled out two fives from her jacket.

"I'll pay you back," I promised feeling like such a scrub.

"Nonsense," she reached for my back again, her hands warmer this time. _My_ body made them warm; it was _my_ heat on _her_ hands.

When this godforsaken bus finally appeared and I hopped on, I swore the bus driver thought we escaped from some mental institution. A few teens were riding tonight, probably coming home from the movies or something. All the juvenile punks were staring at _my_ little beauty. I tensed automatically. I made a little show of how much she was _mine_ when I slid her body provocatively down the front of mine and then crashed my lips with hers, wrestling with her expert tongue for only a short moment before we sat down. A few other riders were still jumping on board. Noticing Vivienne panting made my dick stir, it really was never this responsive to anything but then again, this girl was pretty exotic and it was probably just a little shocked.

"Nutcase," she whispered in my ear as she pulled gently on the lobe with her teeth. _Fuck! _

I shrugged in response, I obviously couldn't deny it. She made me fucking crazy, she'd make anyone crazy if they spent enough time with her. As if to back her statement, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders and stroked her hair between my fingers, casually twisting a little piece into a tight curl before letting it fall back to a pin straight lock among the rest. I was right; it was like the finest silk. Like a baby's hair…

The vibrating in my back pocket woke me from my Vivienne-induced daze. Who the fuck was bothering me now? The caller ID read "Phoebe" and the picture of her from last Christmas sliding down the ski slopes flashed on the screen. Of course it would be her; she always knew when the worse times to bother me were.

"Whataya want you little parasite?" I answered with a huff.

Parasite she was indeed, she sucked the life out of everyone, especially her security guard, Brady. Poor man must be on the brink of a stroke by now. I liked Brady – the crazy Irishman. If there was a rainbow and he was driving the car we'd be speeding towards it to find the pot of gold. My mom absolutely adored him which, of course, made my dad keep him at arm's length.

Whoever was crazy enough to marry Phoebe would certainly gain my utmost respect, I sure as hell wouldn't want to live with her, especially "in sickness". She was the second worst patient to take care of, the first being my dad. Flu season, otherwise known as kill-yourself-to-spare-you-the-aggravation season, was marked by the chiming of two bells ringing constantly around the house from the King and Princess of Annoying. Yeah, Phoebe was the carbon copy of my dad. I at least had some of my mom's level head to balance out the crazy.

"Where are you? You left without security? Are you nuts?!" she whisper-shouted into the phone. I rolled my eyes, she wouldn't blow my cover I had enough dirt on her to fill a landmine.

"Who's that?" Vivienne asked her eyes wide with curiosity.

"Who's _that_?" Phoebe hissed through the phone.

"My sister," I mouthed to Vivienne. "My date," I informed Phoebe.

"You, _you_ have a date? Since when do you have a date?" Phoebe really knew how to make a guy feel good about himself.

If Vivienne knew all the right things to say then Phoebe knew all the wrong. My heart started to beat a little quicker, maybe she would blow my cover and not even mean to do it!

"You better not say anything to Mom and Dad; they think I'm hardcore studying and wouldn't dream of disturbing me." I growled into the phone.

"Let me talk to her and I'll think about it." She really should go into politics; she's such a great negotiator, mainly because you never want to deny her. I rolled my eyes and shook my head from side to side, but eventually complied, handing a very surprised Vivienne the phone.

"Hello?" she asked in that sweet voice of hers.

"Vivienne," she stated then silence. "Seventeen…well yes I'm quite the cougar" she winked at me.

So she was only seventeen? Wow only a year older than me…and still illegal, especially for her line of _work_.

Vivienne's laugh pulled me from those disturbing thoughts, replacing them with rainbows and sunshine, yeah, mushy, I know.

"I've been trying to figure that out all night…Me, too! Okay I'll give you back to him, thanks Pheebs, I appreciate it." Vivienne handed the phone to a now very shocked me. Phoebe doesn't even let me call her "Pheebs" since that incident with the silly string two summers ago…

"Alright so she's clearly got some brain damage if she's going out with you. I won't say anything to Heckle and Jekyll, but if you get caught I had no idea. Comprendes?" she gets one "A" in Spanish and she suddenly thinks she's an expert.

"Yeah, yeah, just call me if they get suspicious. Goodbye, you little twit." I hung up before she could make anymore snarky remarks.

"You really are such a kind and loving sibling, Teddy." Vivienne shook her head.

"If you lived with her, you'd be annoyed, too, trust me." I thought back to when she would steal my toys when were just tiny tots and I would always get mad and threaten to tell Daddy, cause Daddy was a lot scarier than Mommy. Of course I was only trying to frighten her into giving me my toys back; I wasn't really the tattle-tale type. Phoebe would get so angry that she'd bite deep teeth marks into her arm and then make herself cry before running to Daddy saying that I was the one who bit her. I spent a lot of my childhood standing in the corner. Then one day Taylor showed my parents a security video of the _real_ Phoebe, I don't think my dad ever apologized so much in his entire life than when he begged me for my forgiveness.

No matter how much of a pain she was, I still loved her. She was a little prissy bitch when she wanted to be, but that didn't mean she wouldn't fight my dad to allow her on a dirt bike. She used to roll around in the mud a lot when she was younger and laugh when she made little brown track marks on the white carpet. I taught her how to ride a "big girl" bike when she was six because I was tired of the kids making fun of her training wheels. I cried to my mom when the girls in her kindergarten class said they didn't want to play with her because they didn't like her clothes. The next day she came home with a note from the teacher saying that during play time she punched one of those bitches in the face, just like I taught her. Sometimes I even forgot she was a girl she was so much fun to be around.

It finally hit me that she was almost a _woman_ about three years ago. My best friend, Austin, invited me to swim in his indoor pool every other weekend in the winter because it was too cold to go to the beach. Every once in a while we decided to ask Phoebe to join us because she was a really good swimmer and could play pool games like an Olympian. One day I knocked on her bedroom door, asking if she wanted to come along. She threw the door open, punched me in the gut, screamed that I was a jerk, and then slammed the door in my face. When I ran downstairs complaining to my mom that my sister was a total bitch, she told me about what had happened at school that Friday. Phoebe's strict Catholic school only let them wear their normal clothes on special occasions. That Friday happened to be such a day and Phoebe was so excited to wear her new white denim jeans that she had spent the entire night before bleaching them to perfection. Mom said she had to go pick Phoebe up at school and the new pants had to be thrown away – they were drenched in her blood. She had gotten her period. Mom said that she was so mortified that she cried the entire way home.

I just remember thinking that I would never take Phoebe to Austin's house again. I didn't want him to see her in a bathing suit. I didn't want any of my friends to look at her. She wasn't a little girl anymore. The inevitable would eventually happen – she would meet a boy, one she liked enough to kiss. Only kissing wouldn't be good enough, so she'd let him feel her up while she felt him _down_. She would've liked the way it felt so they would put their mouths where their hands had been. Until the day would come that she would have sex and she would like a lot, and she would do it again. Maybe she'd only do it with that boy or she'd find another one, and maybe another after him, and so on and so forth.

It killed me; it just fucking killed me to think about it because if a guy could fuck her then a guy could leave her. If he could leave her, then he could hurt her. I ran into my dad's office because I felt that only he would truly get what I was feeling. That was one of the few times I ever told my dad my deepest, most personal thoughts. I remember looking up at him when I finished my rant and thinking that he looked like he was about to cry. He closed his eyes and whispered,

"Get used to feeling worried, Teddy, because it never goes away…"

"Earth to Teddy! We're here, kiddo let's go!" Vivienne exclaimed as she grabbed my hand and towed me off that sticking bus.

"Here where?" I threw her words back at her. I loved doing that!

"The most delicious eating establishment Seattle has to offer," she grinned as she gestured to a neon-lighted restaurant with the name "Doo-Wop Diner" written in pink fluorescent lights.

"It looks like a fifties-themed diner." I said skeptically.

"Hey this place comes complete with a jukebox and waitresses in poodle skirts _and_ roller skates!" she exclaimed as if this made all the world of a difference.

I decided to not be such a shit since this place really seemed to make her giddy. I would appreciate anything that made her happy. Besides she knew I could afford the best of the best and she didn't want that. Isn't that what I had always dreamed of, a girl who didn't give a shit about the finery I could offer? The place was alive with teenagers laughing, music playing, and a few cute old couples chatting. It smelled like good old-fashioned fried food. It was the kind of place my dad would have his own health inspector check out, the very thought made me warm up to this joint even more. A brunette chick with little streaks of blonde in her hair smiled warmly at Vivienne.

"I haven't seen you around here since we changed from black to pink skirts." The hostess giggled.

"Well a lot has changed in two weeks," Vivienne quipped. Her arm weaving through mine as she asked for her usual table. A fleeting jealous thought crossed my mind, how many other guys had she brought here? Was this place her "usual" pre-fuck stop? _Get a grip, you irrational asshole._

"I'm guessing you want your usual, too?" our hostess said with a smile.

"We both will," Vivienne giggled when she saw my shocked expression. "You're a Doo-Wop virgin so we have to make sure you get the full experience," she winked.

_Well she's not totally off now is she_? My subconscious laughed while my dick sprung up, fully alert. If _she_ was included in the "full experience" package, then I would certainly not be leaving here a virgin…

"You're the expert," I shrugged, my dick still throbbing from my wayward thoughts.

The hostess left after taking us to our small booth to sit. My heart clenched with the idea of having to let go of my hold on her, but I quickly shook away that thought. Vivienne removed her jacket finally allowing me to inspect her upper half without the extra layer of fabric to obstruct my view. I was not disappointed. She had perky, little breasts that just stared right out at you. Through the dress I could see the outline of her bra which made my brain picture her, first, in only the lacy material and then, second, in nothing at all. The outfit didn't hug at her curves like it was meant to, probably because she was so thin. She probably had not eaten a decent meal in a long while and it would do her body good to gain some ten pounds. She wasn't taking care of herself properly, it bothered me so because she _deserved_ to be taken care of. If there was one thing that I was certain of it was that she was a good person, even if she hadn't made some good choices. Maybe she needed somebody to help her realize just how amazing she was. Maybe I could be that somebody. I sure as hell wanted to be.

"Do I have something on my face?" she asked as she fidgeted in her seat. She was obviously uncomfortable. _Way to go, jerk-off!_

"No. Why?"

"You're staring at me…" she mumbled as she tried to look anywhere but at me.

"I find you extremely captivating," she seemed completely shocked but I wasn't finished yet, she needed to hear it all. "The way you look, the way you sound – I could listen to your voice all day – the things you say, it all just fascinates me. I know what makes a girl pretty, but I didn't know there was so much more than looks when it came to _beauty_ - until I met you."

I gave her a few seconds to process all that I had just revealed. When she finally looked up at me she smiled her heart-stopping smile. She grabbed my hand and laced her fingers through mine, the soft touches made breathing impossible. We were in our own little world for those precious minutes; I couldn't bear to think of when I would have to let her go.

The waiters came and ripped us from our intimate moment, setting about our large plates of – what the Hell did she order? A huge burger coated in grease and melted cheese sat in the middle of a sea of french-fries and onion rings.

"I call it the Blood-Clotting Platter," she smirked. She released my hand from her clasp and began to dig in. The sadness I felt at her release only lasted for an instant before it was replaced with utter joy.

I don't understand why girls are so afraid to eat anything that doesn't have zero fat, calories, or sugars in front of guys. When Vivienne feasted it made her all the more adorable. Occasionally she would bite into her burger and hum in appreciation as her eyes rolled to the back of her head. _I_ wanted to make her behave like that! Maybe I could…_in your dreams_.

I was surprised by how amazing the cheap food actually was. It was better than five-star lobster, when I told Vivienne that she laughed and shook her head. Everything about what we were doing felt so normal. Nothing in my life was ever _normal_. How could it be when you were backed by more money than the Fort Knox Depository? Hell, how could it be normal with Christian-control-freak-Grey as your father? It couldn't be, it wasn't, and it never would be. No matter how amazing she was, Vivienne wasn't normal, either. Our situation was definitely not normal! Perhaps normalcy was overrated because if I had to trade in Vivienne for the chance at a normal life, I wouldn't. If I had to trade in my mom, or Phoebe, or – fuck me – even my dad, I wouldn't. Fuck being normal, I just wanted to be happy. Vivienne made me happy, happier than I had ever been. Strange how she could make me feel all these emotions and we hardly knew each other, I wanted to know her – everything about her.

"Tell me a secret, something no one else knows." I demanded in a whisper. My question dragged her into the crevices of her brain as she thoughtlessly swirled a fry in the dollop of ketchup. She was so gorgeous, so mouthwateringly gorgeous, when she was contemplating something. Hell, she was gorgeous all the time! But even more so when I could see the wheels turning and I wondered what on Earth she could be thinking.

"When I was little I used to sleep with my bedroom window open because I wanted Peter Pan to fly in there. It would always be opened, when it snowed or rained or was unbearably hot. I'd get so upset when I'd stay at my grandparents' house because I was afraid he wouldn't be able to find me. When I was nine I realized he was just a character in a story and I cried because he'd never take me to Neverland," she looked around us and then lowered her voice to a soft whisper. "I'm still waiting for him to come and take me away from all this shit."

_Take me away…_

It all became so clear to me that she hated what she did. Though I didn't know why she felt she had to do it, I knew she'd do anything to get out of this fucking city. I could take her away from it all. I could make her happy, as happy as she made me. At the end of our night I wouldn't return her to that fucking pimp, she would never see that place again, of that I would be certain. I would lock her in my closet for the rest of her fucking life if it kept her out of his greedy clutches.

"Are you really only seventeen?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, but please, please, don't say anything. Someone saw me and they must've called the police or something 'cause they raided the entire apartment looking for me. I wasn't there, though. This is the first…umm…night I've spent with anyone in about a week." She told me a lot more than I expected her to, it made me feel like she really did trust me. The words she had spoken still angered me, she's underage for fuck sakes and that piece of shit is selling her out to strange men to do God knows what -

"You make me feel seventeen. It's very refreshing," she smiled and reached for my hand once more. Every angry thought disappeared; she always made me feel so light and airy. Her touch was like being on cloud nine.

"I was thinking about something – something I'd like to do tonight. If, of course, you're up to it…" she looked nervous all of a sudden. The feeling that swept through me was like watching a kitten being frightened by a large dog.

"Anything, we can do anything you want," I breathed.

"That dance, the ones your _friends_ were talking about, well why don't we go?" she looked so embarrassed. I chuckled softly, _all that worry over nothing, baby_.

"You wanna go to some lame high school dance?" I scoffed.

"I wanna go to some lame high school dance _with you_," she clarified. That was all I fucking needed! My heart couldn't take the onslaught of warm fuzzies that she had created.

Yes, I would take her to the dance and I would get her to trust me _completely_. And then, I would take her away from all the pain in her life. I'd take her to the edge of the world if that's what it took to make her safe and loved, because she most certainly was loved. I would just have to work on the safe.

_Wait…wait...hold on there, Teddy! Did _you_ just hint that you love her?_

Yeah, yeah I guess I did…because I _do_.


	6. It's a Bad Way

It Happened One Night

**It is my pleasure to introduce to you the highly anticipated Vivienne's POV! LOL! Tell me what you think :D **

* * *

~ It's a Bad Way ~

The painful rhythm pounds on and on. My feet have fallen asleep, my wrists are surely bruising, and in between my legs is a sharp pain. _Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Stop! Stop! Stop!_

No-no, I mustn't think like that, if I do I won't be able to stop myself from shouting at Him to get the fuck off. I don't know who He is, I don't even know His fucking name, but, hey, when do I ever know the _clients_? I should be used to this jagged, pressing feeling, but I'm not, perhaps I never will be. As His weight shifts, so I feel more of Him on top of me, my breathing comes to a halt. Panic. GET OFF! PLEASE GET THE FUCK OFF! The words bubble on my lips, in desperation I search around the room for some sign of hope. The window, the window is open. _Just in case._ I relax instantly, I am fine. I'm always fine – that's just the fucking problem.

Shit, I'm not making _the sounds_. If I don't make them Rodney gets pissed off and I have to go without food – again. I try to sound as pleased as I can, I must admit my acting is pretty spot-on. If only my drama teacher could see me now!

The feeling of alarm washes over me once more and I know I am close to my breaking point. I squeeze my already closed eyes tighter. _Avoid eye-contact; love comes in at the eyes. _Breathe, I must breathe. Calm, I must stay calm. Focus, I must focus. My brain is desperately trying to recover something to keep my mind off of this discomfort…

Think, I must think…

_My name is Vivienne Price. I am eleven years old – so old I can't show you my age with my fingers anymore. I live in Lewiston, Montana with my mom, Pops, and G-ma. I like to play in the fields behind my house. I pretend I am a princess who is waiting for her rescuer to slay the evil warlock keeping me from my love. The squirrels annoy me with their dead, doll eyes. I throw nuts at them when they get too close to my sandcastles. I hate the color red. I love the color blue. I have three fish, they are all goldfish. I like school, I do well in school, I have fun in school. My mom is pretty, she looks like me. We have the same brown hair, but hers is shinier. She has brown eyes, mine are green. I like hers better. I can see when she's sad, I can see when she's happy, and I can see what makes her my mom when I look into her eyes. "Brown eyes can never lie", that's what Pops always says, at least. My eyes are green. I can hide behind my eyes, I can never show you when I'm sad, I can always lie… _

* * *

I have become a night dweller. It feels like so long since I've last seen daylight. I've always preferred the morning to the evening sun – the colors are brighter, bluer and less rusty. It's a new dawn, the beginning of a new day filled with so many possibilities. My nights blur together, my days are often forgotten, and my life turns meaningless. I crave some sort of focus object, a calculus problem in need of solving, a sentence in need of translating, or a book in need of reading. I had always done so well in school, I had always enjoyed school – it is almost painful to now have to do without. I miss my deep conversations with teachers, the satisfaction in winning a debate, fuck I even miss the shitty cafeteria food!

Today was November 18th – exactly two months since I had left Lewiston. I had always hated it then – the empty fields, the narrow-minded people, the boring atmosphere – but now I would give anything to go back. I miss how the breeze would blow through the long grass in the golden sun that warmed the rich, brown earth. I miss the ever-present snow. I miss the winding rivers where Pops and I would fish – well Pops would fish and I would pick flowers in the valley's field. Fishing was always such a dumb concept to me, mainly because I wasn't allowed to talk. "Your voice'll frighten all the fish away!" Pops would yell in frustration. In retaliation I'd run to the water's edge and sing-shout with my face inches away from the waterline. Yes, I was not the ideal fisherman.

Sometimes I just close my eyes and pretend that I'm home. Pretend that I'm lying on my bouncy bed in my banana-colored room. It was the perfect color for the room because it would become illuminated by the sunlight. I had lace curtains that were made from the same material as my great-great grandma's wedding dress during the Depression. Vanilla-scented candles were always scattered everywhere. My mom would joke about how the smell of vanilla would become permanently embedded in my skin. I wish that were true so that I'd have the comforting scent of home with me everywhere I went. But it was not true and where I am now certainly does not smell like vanilla.

Cigarettes and dust are the two most distinctive odors in the apartment. The air is always thick with everyone's cologne and perfume. The air gets so dense that I practically die of suffocation my sleep. No matter how many times I light the candles or wash the sheets and curtains, the smell remains. It must be rooted in the carpeting and walls. Other strange smells, which are most likely from the various drugs used among the tenants, appear from time to time. There is, however, one lurking scent that can never be washed away – the smell of sex. I can't describe it, nor do I want to, but I know it when I sense it. Dirty, it makes you feel dirty. Perhaps I deserve to feel dirty – fuck I _am_ dirty!

I used to be one those girls who didn't want to lose her precious v-card to just any dick that came along. I was more or less concerned about how embarrassed I'd feel with someone in between my legs. That special someone wouldn't have made me feel embarrassed, he would have made me feel loved and cherished and beautiful. Don't get me wrong, I've done my fair share of fooling around – but no one has been permitted to enter my "hidden treasure" and I have never touched "the key" to it. I used to be so goddamn nervous just before I'd make out with someone especially since they were the popular guys. Thanks to Jared Sax I had earned the reputation as "the girl with the sweetest mouth to taste" or whatever that meant. After that saying was attached to me I was never left unattended to at a party.

I liked the feeling of knowing guys thought I was pretty. I'm sure every girl does. I never tried to hide my face under pounds of makeup or show as much skin as possible because I thought that whoever would find me attractive would like me for the real me, not this plastic girl they had created in their heads. I wore what made _me_ feel pretty, I cut my hair how _I_ liked, and I was never one to fish for compliments because I just didn't care about what other people liked or didn't like about me. "Love yourself first," was my golden rule. Maybe it was my confidence and self-worth that made me more appealing to the boys at school, or maybe it was because I didn't vie for them twenty-four-seven. I wanted to be elegant and graceful and have boys look at me without trying to get their attention. I wanted to be one of those girls who just commanded a room without demanding it. I wanted to have presence.

I don't know when I changed from valuing to hating myself. I suppose I just began to realize that everyone was so much better off without me. Having _presence_ did not make me the easiest person to live with. Stressing out about my four AP classes, being so nit-picky around the house, and pointing out all the flaws in my mom's boyfriends rather than their fine points, did not make me the best person to be around. I don't know how my mother survived seventeen years of me – her barrier from happiness.

So no matter how much I hate my life here in Seattle, I can't bring myself to go back home. Not now that I am tainted. I don't deserve a home. I don't deserve love. I don't deserve to be saved…

* * *

"It's called that evening buzzzz," Tammy hummed as she threw herself on my bed. She really was quite pretty when she wasn't so fucked up. I could tell it was more than a joint this time, maybe she'd taken a few hits from Sonya's pipe?

"You promised we'd get the laundry done! I've been wearing the same bra for five days!" I flashed the strap of my cheetah-print bra that made my tits look "fantabulous" as Tammy liked to say. She just rolled her bloodshot eyes and giggled.

"Stop nagging! We'll get the fuckin' clothes washed!" she rolled off the side of the bed, on her feet, and grabbed my hamper from the corner of our room. I would have taken her more seriously if she hadn't gasped at the sight of the overloaded basket and then burst into an uncontrollable fit of laughter.

"You're blitzed! Worst. Roommate. Ever!" I shouted at her. Her face turned into the perfect puppy-dog pout as she wrapped her thin (way too bony to be healthy, thin) arms around my neck.

"You're my slut! Never forget it," she kissed me on the cheek and then skipped to the doorway. "I'll talk to Mr. Sunshine about going out; you know how paranoid that mothafucka gets." With that she was gone.

Tammy was a sweetheart, complete bitch, and raging psycho when she was on something. This time it must have been an "upper". Every girl is different, every drug is different, and any girl high on any drug is different. Some girls would just cry, others would fight, most were just hunky-dory, and a few would get so dazed that they hardly knew you were there at all. I was glad I was one of the few who hadn't stooped so low, because once you cross that line you'll never get back on the other side completely the same. There would always be a yearning for that little moment of "Zen".

She was right about one thing; Rodney was not known to be lenient when it came to "free time". Especially with the new girls. I probably would be tethered to his side if it wasn't for the fact that Felicia joined us several nights ago. She was pretty and that meant big bucks for the Barter King.

"Because these shorts smell like dick! Dick, dick, dick!" I heard Tammy shouting.

She was really the only one of us girls who could yell at Rodney without fear of being punished. Once and a while I find myself thinking that he loves her. She wasn't given just any "client", only the best looking and highest paying for Tammy. She normally got what she wanted whether it was clothes, drugs, or me as her roommate. She was obsessed with me!

"You remind me of who I always wanted to be." She once whispered to me in the dead of night. Who the fuck would want to be me?

Anyways, Rodney was known for his flaring temper. He was usually all bark and no bite, but now and then someone would push the wrong button. He's hit a few girls – only with his hands and never more than two or three slaps – but it was enough to instill terror in me. He never hit me, usually because I was so compliant with everything. He looked at me like you would the runt of the litter, and it made me feel a little safer knowing I was in his good graces.

I was not disillusioned – I knew with him his heart was in his pocket. He _loves_ all of us girls because he loves the money we bring him in. If I wasn't able to come up with my usual $2,500 a night, my ass would've been on the streets. I didn't need to give him another reason to want to kick me out. The police raid really shook Rodney, and the rest of us, up. He liked the fact that I "tasted illegal" but not when the cops gained word of a minor in a whore house. We were all so lucky that they found neither me nor any drugs. I wanted to be saved but not by the law.

"Come on down, Chickadee! We're going to the clothes pond!" Tammy screamed.

Maybe I shouldn't have pushed this; her head was clearly stuck in the clouds. _Too late now. Besides, your wardrobe does smell like dick_… a voice from faraway reasoned.

Downstairs showed little signs of the midday visitors who left a few hours ago. We always seemed to be working in shifts: wake up fuck, afternoon delight fuck, after dinner fuck, and midnight snack fuck. Rodney sat at his usual spot on the long, suede sofa – _a king on his_ _throne_ or, at least, he thought so. He didn't say anything to me as I walked past him towards the door, he didn't have to, the message was clear, _be back before nightfall or face my wrath_.

"The dickhead only gave me three dollars so it looks like we gotta go someplace cheap." Tammy rolled her eyes looking at our huge load.

"What else is new?"

Our usual laundry matt wasn't exactly the cream of the crop, but I'd take what I could get. The cheerful little bell dinged and Mr. Yang smiled his hellos and got us all set up. He was an adorable seventy-something-year-old with thick glasses that were far too large for his face. Tammy wasn't very good at the loading, or the unloading, or the folding, so I was used to doing everything myself with her just watching.

"Rodney told me he wants you to work tonight," she started, softly. I knew where this was going.

"I'll be fine, stop going all momma-bear on me," I laughed when I really felt like crying. I guess I had grown accustomed to not having to fuck every piece of shit that walked through the door.

"I wish you'd find some enjoyment out of it." Tammy always talked about how great sex was. She was always so shocked that it did nothing but disgust me. I was even more shocked that it didn't disgust her. I suppose one man's Heaven is another's purgatory.

"Me too." I mumbled. _Just shut the fuck up and drop it!_ I wanted to shout, but I repressed those harsh words.

"Don't they ever…you know...touch you?" She asked quietly. She had already showed me the "trigger places", as she called them. She told me how they should "handle them" and how I should feel when they did.

"No, they _grope_ me. Ok? They don't give a shit about my fucking pleasure." I did nothing to hide the distain in my voice this time. Might as well tell her how it is…

She wrapped her arms around my middle and squeezed me tight. "Don't leave me. I know it's bad, but you're my best friend," she sounded like she was about to cry.

"Maybe it'll get better," I whispered trying to make her feel better – trying to make myself feel better.

We stood there like that for a moment, she watched me as I stared at the wet mound of clothes spin round and round, mixing with foamy suds. After a few moments I sighed.

"Come on, let's walk around." I smiled.

Walking beside Tammy always made me feel so adolescent. She was a lot taller than me, her figure more pronounced, her skin a little rugged from tanning so much. She was twenty-five, so old yet so young. Sometimes she behaved like a five-year-old, at other times she was a wise old sage.

She had latched onto me so quickly that I felt like I had known her for years. She was the one who found me tired and hungry sitting on some park bench freezing my fucking ass off. She owned me from that moment on. The audience to your lowest point will always own you. She brought me back to the apartment and told me everything would be alright. She couldn't have been more wrong. I knew she didn't want me to be what she was, that wasn't her motivation to take care of me. I learned that much after…after my _first_ _time_. I had hated her despite her pleas to forgive her for introducing me to this "lifestyle". The hate quickly faded and focused where it rightly belonged – on me.

I don't like to think about that night. So I don't. It's shoved in the back of my mind along with all the others and makes its routine appearance every so often.

We said nothing to one another as we walked down the block. Tammy was still a little a high off of God-knows-what and I was in no mood for conversation. My mind kept spinning round and round, just like the clothes in the washer. _Who would I have to fuck tonight? Would it hurt more now that it had been a while since I'd done it last?_ Questions, scenarios, suggestions – they all swarmed like a hive of busy worker bees in my brain. I needed to calm down; I needed to regain my focus.

_My name is Vivienne Price. I am twelve years old. I threw away all my Barbie dolls because the girls across the street laughed at such child's play. They try to wear makeup but it makes them look like Ronald McDonald, the thought makes me laugh. I'm still afraid of my basement, but I pretend like it doesn't bother me. I never want to be an explorer. The world has too many basements if you ask me. I really want a pet pig; they're actually very clean animals. My mom won't let me get one because she said we have no room for a pig. She's a liar. We have plenty of room. Whenever she says that, her brown eyes reveal her lie. My eyes expose nothing. Perhaps I am the greatest liar of them all…_

We had circled the block and were now walking back towards the dry cleaners. _How long had we been walking for? Was it time to switch loads?_ I didn't want to go back. The quicker we finished, the quicker we'd be returning to the apartment and the closer to my nightly companion would I be…

"Can I get a puff?" I asked. I usually liked to have the foul taste in my mouth when I felt especially low.

"Go for it!"

She allows enjoyed introducing me to harmful things: the apartment, the pimp, the cigarettes. She had already attempted to reel me into her trap of needles, pipes, and hallucinogens. What pleasure she had found in seeing me deteriorate, I know not. It is common knowledge, however, that misery wants company. Perhaps my downward spiral from pure to corrupt made her feel a little less fucked up. If someone is in the same boat as you, they could never criticize you. To Tammy that was the foundation for a friendship.

We passed the butt back and forth; each inhale calmed me further and further. I would need all the help I could get for tonight. My brain drifted for a moment to Joanie's pills before I quickly dismissed the thought. If I was comatose I could not fight back. If I was comatose I would feel nothing. If I was comatose I would do anything to be so forever – the most dangerous "if" of them all.

Shouting from the other side of the corner caught our attention. A totally inebriated homeless man stumbled through the crossway as he cursed off any car that dare come near him.

"Look Tammy! It's you on a Saturday night!" I cried pointing at the man.

"Saturday! Ha more like a fucking Tuesday!" She laughed.

"I think you could out-drink him any day." I giggled as I pointed once more to the drunkard. I had seen him around here before, but he was usually asleep by some dumpster and clutching a bottle of vodka.

"Damn straight!" she exclaimed. "Ugh why won't this prick ever let me smoke in there?" She grumbled as we stopped in front of the laundry matt. She then attempted to inhale all the Camel had to offer.

"It's not like I need you. Wait here I'll be back in a sec. Don't wander, ok?"

"Yes, master," she mimicked Igor. It only made me smile wider.

Transferring the huge mountain of mush into the dryer, I was suddenly floored by more dreadful thoughts. I didn't anyone's hands on me tonight. I didn't want to be touched ever again. I wanted bathe myself in bleach and remove every paw print of every beast that had ever touched me! It would be painful tonight, it was painful every night. I was so scared. I was so helpless to do anything else but walk back to Tammy and face the inevitable. I still had some time to buy.

Tammy hadn't moved from her spot, but her half-smoked cigarette was lying on the wet concrete. Odd, she never wasted a Camel. Her jaw had dropped fully open. What the hell was up with her?

"What's with the face?" I asked.

She pointed across the street, towards the apartment. Some tall guy was talking to Rodney who had this greedy smile plastered on his face.

"That kid wants to take you on a _date_," she mumbled, still shocked.

HUH? WHAT? HUH? ….no coherent thoughts followed.

Before either of us could say anything else, Rodney was waving us over towards him and the stranger. The closer I got, the more handsome he became. What on Earth did _he_ want with _me_? I wasn't given any formal introduction, it was understood that I'd go inside and wait for further instructions. Hopefully, Rodney would clear this confusion…

"Take here upstairs and get her dressed in somethin' nice," he ordered Tammy and then turned to me and mocked, "See _you_ in the morning." That was all he said before he left, counting the crisp Benjamin's in his hand…seven in total.

"He's probably just a virgin. A lot of guys do that. They fuck one of us so they know what the hell to do when they wanna empress a bitch." Tammy mumbled as she pulled out her white, lace dress. My favorite dress of hers.

A feeling of utter delight washed over me. I could show him the "triggers" and then maybe it wouldn't be so bad. He'd obviously do whatever I told him to if he was what Tammy seemed to think he was. Yeah, tonight could be fun!

Excitement coursed through my veins as I ran down the stairs and out the door. The boy was standing at the bottom of the stoop looking pretty guilty. _Well, that's one I've never seen before…_

He was really cute, like extremely cute! He was probably my age – a first for me. He was more than a foot taller than me and boy was he jacked – not like a steroids junkie, but he definitely worked out. He had this perfect complexion; he probably never needed to go tanning. His was beautiful, so many gorgeous features all molded onto one face. I felt like I had seen him before but I couldn't recall where. _Maybe he's a model._

When I looked into his eyes my heart stopped. They were the clearest, deepest, loveliest shade of blue I had ever seen. You could just get lost in their depths. With eyes like that, he could deceive anyone. His eyes were blue – he could lie, too.


	7. Kings to You

It Happened One Night

**Howdy! I'm so, so, so sorry that I took so long to update I've just been incredibly busy with school! I'm really happy that everyone really liked Vivienne's Point of View! It's very interesting to write, but certainly difficult! I never really planned to write anything from her perspective but I promise to do so every once and while! Please leave any suggestions you may have on how to improve my story! They are greatly valued and I actually try to listen to them! **

**Anyways…if you guys can think if any songs that you think may pertain to this story please tell me because I often draw inspiration from songs. Some new songs you could check out while reading include:**

**It Won't Rain All the Time – Jill Silberry and Shelter – Birdy (Shout out to PerhpasPerhapsPerhaps!) **

**Roxanne – The Police (like way old but it's freaking good!) **

**Broken – Lifehouse (who doesn't love Lifehouse?!)**

* * *

~ Kings to You – 9:30pm ~

My life is the constant focus of a spotlight. I rarely bask in the cold feeling of a darkened stage and it is in those rare moments that I feel most alone. They are so brief that they pass me by, often without me even knowing of their existence. But I know what it's like to suddenly be surrounded by the blinding light. You can't see, you can't think, you can't speak…all you can do is try to adjust to the mind-numbing illumination. You're up high above the crowd with everyone watching, waiting for you to fuck it up. Every word must be carefully planned, every action well thought-out, and every emotion completely undetectable.

With Vivienne I felt as if there was no stage, just us. There was no darkness, no light, no flashes of either, and – most of all – no audience. I knew that nothing had changed – that the production still continued – I was just unaware of it. Vivienne turned them all invisible. Vivienne made them all bearable. She was neither light nor dark, only utter peace in the middle of chaos.

I stood at the entrance to my high school's gymnasium knowing that people were looking – some in anger, some with jealously, some purely shocked – and I didn't give a damn what they thought, a first for me. The lights were everywhere, the audience was on its toes, but the actors – Vivienne and I – were no longer acting. It was real. I was real. _We_ were real.

Her hand in mine was the center of this beautiful universe, everything revolved around it. I ached to feel more of her. My fingers trailed up her hand, skimming past her wrist where I felt a strange lump. I looked down to examine the slightly protruding bone that would've been of little importance to anyone – except me. Everything about her held some substance for me, even something as insignificant as a wrist bone. It appeared to be fine, no bruising – painless, but that did little to diminish my interest.

"How'd this happen?" I asked as I brought her arm closer to my face, my thumb sprawling over the tiny bone.

"Oh it's nothing. I fell off my bike when I was younger and broke my wrist," she shrugged. Her nonchalance about the incident confused me; anything that hurt her – whether past, present or future – bothered me. She didn't deserve to feel any pain, physical or emotional.

I pressed my lips to the mass. _Love me, love me like I love you_, I willed her. Her eyes gazed into mine and widened. Had she heard me? A moment of panic seized me. I loved her and wanted her to know, but only if she loved me back. I wouldn't be able to face her rejection. The alarm quickly vanished when I was graced with one of her magnificent smiles.

"We gonna stand here all night or are we gonna actually dance?" she asked. Just the thought of pressing her body up against mine awakened my hazed brain.

With a grip around her middle I guided her through the throngs of students and faculty chaperones, their eyes wide with shock, until we were in the center of them all. The bass drummed through the speakers and I could feel it beneath my feet. I didn't particularly like the music they were playing but it was easy to move to, and boy could we move!

People have always said that I inherited my dad's dancing skills and it is not a compliment to be taken lightly if you've seen how well he can dance. It was a relief to know that I had such ability especially when I had this gorgeous creature swaying in my arms. She was so graceful, so in time with the beat, so filled with rhythm – that it took my breath away. Everything about her made ignoring her an impossible task. She was so surreal; I wondered whether she existed at all.

_She's almost too good to be true, eh?_ The very thought turned me ice cold with fear and rage. Being Theodore Raymond Grey you can never be too careful with who you allow into your life. Perhaps I should've taken more caution when it came to her, but I knew I had nothing to worry about. Her eyes said it all. I could look right down into those green pools and rip her carefully constructed mask to shreds. She could hide behind the façade created by those dazzling eyes no more.

As the music turned to a slow song my arms captured her waist. One hand on each of my shoulders, her head resting on my chest, her eyes closed, my lips on her hair, we painted the picture of two teenagers hopelessly devoted to one another. She lifted her head to gaze at my face; she must've found what she was searching for because she smiled such a lovely smile and reached up to give me a quick peck on my lips.

"Boy you're an amazing dancer," she giggled. "I took a real asshole to junior prom, didn't even get one dance outta him!" she rolled her eyes.

"I guess I'll have to make up for lost dances," I winked. Yes, she favored me and it pleased me greatly.

"I feel like we've entered a John Hughes film," she whispered as her eyes scanned the auditorium. She was right, everything from the balloon arch to the giant punch bowl and huge paper decorations screamed 80's movie. I rolled my eyes at the cliché scene before me.

"Jesus everyone's staring at us," she laughed. The sound made me tingle like always and the only cure was pressing her closer to me. She was just so soft, so warm…

"No, everyone's staring at _you_," I clarified. "I can't say I don't know why. You're beautiful."

She took on this look of disbelief, as if I told her the world was flat. This confused me; surely she must've known how perfect she was. I stroked her silky hair beneath the pads of my fingers and stared deeply into her eyes. _Love me, love me, just love me back_, I willed her once more.

"You would think so," she whispered. It was so hushed that I wasn't completely certain I had heard her correctly over the music.

"You are," my hands traveled to each side of her face. _You're beautiful, I love you, I love, you, I love you and I want you to love me_, I tried hard to drill this into her brain. My stare was so intense that it was impossible for her to construct her infamous shield. What I found there frightened me to my core. She looked at me with such emotion – such raw, pure emotion – that I knew she felt something for me too. Would that be enough to make her stay? Or would it be her reason to go? _Stay, stay – you don't have to love me if you just stay._

The slow song ended and was followed by a faster, heart-pumping tune. We said nothing to one another, only our bodies moved in synchronization with the new beat. Our dancing wilder, carefree but our minds were still trying to recover from such a profound moment. It was better to remain silent than to say the wrong thing. Despite the close contact physically, emotionally we were miles away. It was the most painful three minutes of my entire life.

When the song ended, she stood up on her tippy toes – for a second my heart swelled with the idea that she was going to kiss me – and whispered softly in my ear, "I need to use the little girl's room".

My mood instantly turned sour, I really wanted that kiss… I nodded and began to guide her towards the restrooms. She started to walk out of my grasp but she stopped and slowly turned to face me, an unsettling look crossing her face. It made my heart thud harder in my chest. She knew – she knew I was in love with her. I could see it in her eyes. Well, fuck me then! Like a flash of lightening all my dreams of us were gone. She didn't love me back. Did I really expect her to?

Her wide-eyed gaze was enough to make me sick. Thankfully she continued to walk inside the lavatory, giving me a moment to wallow in self-pity/self-hate. _Now what?_ I should've just told her to go, it was no use loving someone who'd never love you back. Yeah, I should've just saved myself the trouble.

_WAIT A GODDAMN MINUTE! You have all night! Why let her go _now_? You sure as hell don't want her to leave! Just pretend she loves you, you deserve a night of happiness. _

Instead of doing the right thing, I did the pathetic thing. I listened to that desperate voice inside my head – the voice that was desperate for her. I wasn't ready to let her go, not yet. I had to do everything in my power to try and get her to love me. Yeah, fuck giving up! If she didn't love me by tomorrow, after I had done all that I could, then I would give her up. At least, that's what I told myself…

I left the loud auditorium and pulled out my cell phone. Searching the number I needed, I quickly punched it in upon locating it. Clearing my throat I prepared to become the bossy prick that was Mr. Christian Grey. _Show time, Teddy_.

"Fairmount Hotel, Seattle branch. How may I help you?" the secretary declared.

"Hello, yes. I need a room for tonight. Name of Grey," I had to admit I sounded more like the CEO than the CEO himself.

The receptionist went on to ask me mundane questions regarding my financial information and preferences for the room. My patience wore thinner and thinner. _No wonder my dad always leaves this shit up to his staff! _The only thing I could think of was Vivienne. Each moment I wasted with this shit was a moment she could've spent running out on me. I didn't know what I would do if she left, in fact I had decided not to even entertain that painful thought for fear I would go crazy. Well, even more crazy than I already was!

"You're all set to go, Mr. Grey. Thank you for choosing Fairmount."

I didn't respond to her pleasantries, I just hung up. God, I was acting just like the bastard! Even worse, I could understand _why_ he behaved the way he did.

The moment I reached the auditorium's threshold my eyes scanned around the room looking for Vivienne. She had most likely finished her business by now. I kept coming up empty, which made my heart beat faster once more. With all this strain I'd be dead of a heart attack by the end of the evening. I guess us Grey men were born with a strong cardiovascular system to deal with our chronic anxiety. If not my dad would've been long gone by now.

_Where the fuck is she? _I had searched the entire room three times! Had she just up and left? Another episode of complete heart failure followed. _Breathe, for fuck's sake breathe!_ I took some calming deep breaths and then slowly, attempted to find her once more. Every person was a possible candidate. I would never again evade security, not if it made them this panicked. I just needed to see her; I just needed to know she was okay.

It was so quick, all of it. The second my eyes fell on her – instant relief. The moment I saw what was going on around her – instant rage.

She was standing a few feet away from the bathrooms, her arms crossed, her posture one of pure defense. She looked so small in her tiny white dress, even in those high heels. Her face one of masked coolness, but I could see the worry in her face. Her eyes subtly drifted around the room in search of me.

There stood my _good buddy_ Pat right in front of her with a sly smile on his face. I was shaking with fury, my vision going black. My mind drifted to all the times he had taken advantage of a girl at a party, of all the girls he had coaxed into fucking him, and I envisioned Vivienne in place of all those faceless girls. I was going to kill him.

It seemed like I was standing there watching the two of them forever. In reality it was only a few short seconds before I found myself circling the gym to get to her. If that bastard touched even her once, I would rip his fucking head off.

I would've reached them faster if I had chosen to go left, but by going right I would come up behind her. Have you ever seen Animal Planet? Well all animals when battling for ownership of their mate generally come face-to-face. That was me, going by pure, carnal instinct – all rationale out the fucking door.

"I said no thank you," Vivienne's voice was a mixture of fear and annoyance, but – and I had to hand it to her – she sounded strong. I was willing to bet that she had fought off pricks that were far worse than some snobbish high school jerk-off.

"What's going on?" I asked as I wrapped an arm around Vivienne's waist. Her body was instantly relieved of all tension. I found it pretty fucking sexy and, looking into Pat's eyes, so had he. My fury rose to a ten on the Richter scale. No one was to look at her like that! No one was to think of her like that! No one but _me_! Me alone!

"Nothing," Vivienne mumbled. _Nothing?! You call this nothing?!_ She seriously had some confusion when it came to how she should be treated. Being eye-fucked by this walking hard-on was not simply _nothing_. It was _something_, alright – something that had me seething.

"It doesn't look like nothing," my eyes never left Pat's. I wanted to rip that wicked gleam in his eyes right from their sockets.

"Don't sweat it, Grey. I was just trying to spare your girl here from a particularly boring evening." The idea of knocking this cocky prick on his ass was getting sweeter and sweeter by the moment.

"Thank you for your consideration but I'm having a great time here with Teddy. Come on let's go dance," Vivienne started pulling me away from the stand-off. I thawed slightly, she was happy to be here with me. She only wanted to be with me.

"My mistake, I thought you would've rather spent the night with someone who's not the eternal virgin." The anger in his voice from being rejected made me delighted. It was about time someone said no to the fucker.

"Don't talk about him like that you pompous ass!" She was livid, her eyes flashed bright yellow – she was gorgeous when she was angry.

"Easy there, baby. I can totally see the draw, Ted. Anytime you needa fix all you gotta do is find me." He winked at her. He fucking winked at her! Fucking bastard.

"Let's get one thing straight. I think you are the most disgusting man-whore on the entire planet. I would rather nail a fucking gorilla than go within three feet of you. Don't talk to me, don't look at me, don't touch me, and don't bother Teddy, or I swear I will chop your dick off. Understand?"

Her outburst stunned us both into silence – I was awed, he was furious. I guess living the way she did, it left no room for bullshit. She was tough, she was strong, and she was incredibly beautiful because of it.

She turned her back to him and pulled me along with her. I wondered whether she wanted to go back to dancing or if she had had enough and just wanted to go. It didn't matter much to me; as long as she wanted to stay together I was happy.

We were about to enter the sea of dancing students who were oblivious to what had just went down when I heard him grumble, "fucking slut."

I froze and stiffened immediately. My body began to tremble with the anticipation of a fight. He could say anything he wanted to about me but anything directed to or about her that was not of the utmost respect would land him in a wheel chair.

_Kill him, fucking kill him. _

I was blinded by rage, stronger now than it was before. I could hardly think about what I was doing. The only thing I could remember was the feeling of my fist colliding with his jaw. The pain felt so good, so fucking good that I hit him again – this time square in the face, knocking him into the bathroom door. There was blood on my hands. His blood was on my hands. I made him bleed.

A small gathering of students began to form in a half circle around us. I was ready to lunge on top of him and pound into his face over and over again, but something stopped me. Hands were on my shoulders, they pushed me backwards, they tried to stop me.

"Please, Teddy. Please let it go!" A voice cried. Who's voice? I couldn't think straight, but I knew I had to listen to those beautiful urgings. I walked backwards as the hands directed me to move. I obeyed the hands. I obeyed the voice. I obeyed their owner.

My brain was still in that gym, with its lights and music and decorations, with the fucker lying on the floor. I wanted to taste his blood! I wanted to tear his body to pieces! I couldn't even remember what had set me off. I was all sensation – all fury. I needed to physically expel these rabid emotions within me before I exploded.

The sting of the cold winter air snapped me back to reality. I was outside my school, I just kicked the shit out of the massive dick I called my friend, and Vivienne was there, with me. My arms wove around her waist as if to confirm what I already knew – _she's here, with you_. I started to walk forwards, controlling Vivienne's backward steps. I needed her – now!

I ignored the city around me as I strode purposefully down the avenue. I just had to cool off a little; I didn't want to frighten her or anything. I was still so fucking angry! How dare he say that about her! She was a slut because she didn't want to fuck him? Twisted dumbass! He didn't know her – I did. He didn't see all the beautiful things that made her so precious – I did. He didn't love her – I did. He didn't deserve her – did I?

I couldn't take it anymore! I had to feel her, all of her. I turned into an empty ally, backed her up against a brick building and relinquished onto her all that Theodore Raymond Grey had to offer. Our teeth clashed on impact but it did nothing to deter my conquest. I forcefully thrust my tongue into her delicious mouth, but I'm pretty sure she didn't mind since her own tongue started to twirl with mine – two ballerinas performing _Swan Lake._ My fingers wove into her sleek hair and tugged, hard. I needed to get closer. My body pressed against hers, she gasped at the feeling of my erection poking at her middle. I didn't care. I couldn't care. I was all action no thought.

Her hands moved from my chest to my face, cradling me. It changed everything, softened everything. My fierceness morphed into tenderness. Our kiss became slower, calmer, our lips lightly touching – so smooth, so soft.

I felt our kiss being ripped apart by those very loving hands on my face, pulling me from her. In her eyes I saw only worry. I was nervous that I had upset her with my primal behavior.

_Should I apologize? _

_Not unless you're sorry. _

_I'm not. _

_Then don't apologize. _

"You shouldn't've done that," she shook her head.

"No, you shouldn't've stopped me, that fucker deserved a lot more pain."

"Why'd you hit him?" she asked.

"No one's gonna say something like that about you and live." My voice was monotone, devoid of all emotion. I think I had had enough emotional outbursts for one evening that I didn't have any more left in me.

Her eyes frosted, I clearly gave her the answer she did not want to hear.

"He wasn't completely off the mark…"

"I said no one, that includes you." My anger was on the rise once more.

"I don't get it! You let him say all that shit about you – tonight, earlier today, probably every day of the fucking week – and you do nothing. He says one thing about me and you almost kill him." There is a great deal of general confusion, and sorrow, in her voice that I didn't understand. Who gives a shit what he did to me? Clearly I didn't.

"I didn't see you stand up for yourself, either. In fact, it wasn't until he said something about _me_ that you blew up. Why?" I sounded like a condescending piece of shit, but I didn't care – as long as it drove my point home.

She didn't answer my question. For a moment her eyes took on a look of understanding, but they were also cold. It disappeared as humor finally coated the sadness. She smiled her beautiful smile, taking my breath away.

"Maybe we should stay handcuffed to one another, that way we'll never have to deal with other people's shit again!" She giggled, my heart bloomed.

I rested my chin on the top of her head and just reveled in the feeling of her embrace.

"Teddy?" she called after a moment.

"Hmm?"

"I get to throw the punches next time," she whispered humorously.

_It seems I have my own little guard dog…_ The goofy grin on my face wouldn't come off so I hid it in her mound of hair. Across the street a park band played to a small gathering of fans. My hands holding her hips, her arms resting on my chest, we swayed with the acoustic rhythm of a guitar. I could feel her heart beating a steady beat against me. It's probably the most intimate two people can be – without having had sex or meaning to do so, at least. Holding her is like having everything a person could ever want in your hands.

She sighed softly and nuzzled my chest. She stopped as soon as her right ear was up against my own heart, its beating more erratic than hers. Her head rolled to the side so that her lips took the place of her ear.

_Love me, love me, I think you may love me…_

* * *

"Oh please can't we just wait for the movie to be over?" I begged in my sweet, little, you-know-you-can't-deny-me voice. _Stall, Phoebe! You have to stall!_

My dad looked down at me and smiled the smile that is only reserved for his princess – me. I've obviously reeled him in, now onto the Woman of Steel. My mom looked at the clock which read a quarter after ten and bit her lip. _Great, now she'll get Dad all riled up!_

"We have to get up early, Phoebe, you know that," she whispered softly.

How could I forget? They had been talking about that stupid committee breakfast thing for weeks. It was "to carefully design the next charity function" which wouldn't be all that exciting either. If you're fourteen and are forced to attend these parties, generally you don't have a good time. I can't drink, I can't gamble, I have to be in bed by eleven (which everyone knows is when the real fun begins), and I can't even bring a date because it would make for an awkward evening if the host got arrested for murder. The breakfast would be horrible tomorrow, all those prissy, stuck-up bitches in one room talking flower arrangements, music, tablecloths, silverware, and all the other "important" details.

My dad looked down at me from the corner of his eyes and gave me his sly smirk, at least he would be spared the morning's torture.

"But we never get to just lounge around anymore! Please only another thirty minutes!" I pleaded looking into her eyes. Her blue eyes always revealed her vulnerability, just like Theodore. Speaking of the oaf where the heck was he?

"Alright, alright but then that's it and we're going to bed," she stated firmly. I gave her my most dazzling smile, the one I used on Christmas morning. She only rolled her eyes. _Stop now you're really gonna make Daddy all excited!_ I wanted to yell at her.

"Maybe we should ask Teddy if he wants to watch it, too." My mom offered as she started to get up.

_SIT DOWN RIGHT NOW! Nobody's moving till I say so! _

"Don't even bother, he's been shutting himself up in his room studying for the SAT even though he's got like forever to study," I rolled my eyes. I could be an Oscar-winning actress I was so good at fooling everyone.

"He's probably passed out by now, baby." Dad chuckled as he pulled her back down to him.

My brother and I are two very different creatures. He's all about math and science and calculations. I would rather read or draw or paint or explore. He is very serious about learning and college and getting an A. Me, I'm just a natural, I've never had to study for any exam and I always do well. He's more reserved and I'm more hey-look-at-me. He's kind hearted and I'm pretty selfish. We're exactly like the Mr. and Mrs. over here, only all jumbled up. I have a closer connection to my dad while Teddy and my mom seem to have a hotline to the other's thoughts.

I figured it was probably a good idea to warn Teddy that Madre and Padre would eventually want their goodnight kisses. They always said goodnight to us, no matter what. I didn't need them to walk into Teddy's vacated room and completely panic. Padre would probably combust on the spot.

"I have to pee," I giggled as I hopped off the couch and ran into the hallway bathroom.

"Thanks for update!" My mom called out laughing.

I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Jerk-face's number. _Ring_. No answer. _Ring_. No answer, again. _Ring_. Third time's the charm and still no answer. Finally, on the fourth ring the dummy had enough sense to answer before I completely abandoned ship.

"What now?" He answered gruffly. It was obvious I had interrupted _something_.

"I'm not too sure I appreciate your tone, Mr. Grey. Perhaps I should hang up," I mimicked Andrea's voice to the T. Poor girl. I wondered if she ever seriously considered cursing out my dad at least once. It would greatly benefit her sanity.

"Can you cut the crap and tell me what's going on?" _Oh touchy!_

"Hey, she's doing you a favor. Be a little nicer," a voice on the other end admonished. So he was still with Vivienne? She sounded really pretty, like one of those Disney princesses. If I had to guess, I would've said she looked like Sleeping Beauty. Though I wasn't too sure what my older brother's type was…

"I would listen to the lady there sport," I impersonated Grandpa Ray this time.

"I'm sorry, ok? Why are you calling me?" He asked his tone a little strained but definitely much more respectful.

"I am calling to inform you that Mr. and Mrs. Grey are getting a little suspicious. You have twenty minutes until they come knocking on your door." And if Teddy wasn't in his bed when they did, the National Guard would be over here before you had time to blink.

"Fuck! Ok thanks, Phoebe! I owe you a million! Love you, Sis." He hung up.

I was surprised at how grateful he sounded. He never said "I love you" to me on the phone! Well not recently, at least. What kind of magic spell did this Vivienne girl have my brother under? I would bottle it and give my dad an overdose; it would do everyone some good.

I left the bathroom trying to formulate a picture of what this girl looked like. There was no doubt that she had to be stunning, my brother never really paid attention to anyone who was just "pretty". Blonde? Brunette? Brown eyes? Blue eyes? Tall? Short? So many unanswered questions, and I had a feeling I would never get the answer to any of them. Teddy probably wouldn't bring her around for fear that my parents would be too critical. I could tell that he really liked her, though. He doesn't really listen to anyone, but he listened to her.

I skipped back into the living room and plopped down on the couch. The parents were cuddling, being all cute and such. I wondered what it would be like if Teddy and Vivienne sat next to them and cuddled, too. And then maybe further down beside them I was cuddling with a boy – preferably Chace Anderson.

Chace and Phoebe Anderson…it had a very nice ring to it I must say. Most girls would probably think "in your dreams" but I was determined to make it a reality. I can be very persuasive and assertive when I want to be.

_Phoebe and Chace. Chace and Phoebe. Mr. and Mrs. Chace Anderson…_

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**Ok so like super-duper long chapter (my longest thus far) and I hope it was worth the wait! Hopefully I will update this weekend!**

**And yeah I know Teddy's a little insecure but hey that's teenagers right? One minute you think someone loves you and the next you're all "why did I even think they liked me?!"**

**Please review(: Thank you dolls(: ~ Ava**


	8. A War in My Mind

It Happened One Night

**Yay I actually updated when I promised I would! LOL Sorry if this chapter's crap but it really was down to crunch time when it came to finishing this. **

**Anyways thanks so much all of you for your amazing reviews! They bring tears to my eyes :') good tears, though! **

**Please review and tell me what you think and, of course, leave any suggestions on how I can improve. Thanks a million :D ~ Ava**

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~ A War in My Mind – 10:20pm ~

_Clack, clack, clack, clack_ – after storming down two blocks my feet started to tingle from the strain of my six-inch heels and my arm was getting tired from Teddy's steel grip as he pulled me down the avenue.

Once he hung up with his sister, he quickly went into overreact mode, ripping us from our embrace and then running down the street with me in tow. "Shit! Shit! Shit!" he mumbled over and over again. It doesn't take much to get him amped up. That spectacle he made of himself at the dance … he's lucky he didn't get himself in trouble! Though, I must admit, a little part of me – a selfish part – was quite pleased that he would defend my honor.

_ Why, why do you care? You stupid boy, you! Why do you care?_

How could he not see all the wonderful things about him? How kind he is, how loving and caring? How could he not see all those girls eyeing him wistfully? How could he find himself deserving of _me_? What horrible sins had he committed to make him believe himself worthy of _me_? I was surely not worthy of him. He was the flowers that grew in the spring time, while I was the white blanket of decay in the winter. He was everything and I was nothing.

Young boys often deem themselves in love when they are in the company of a pretty girl. He found me attractive, he couldn't wait to fuck me, he _would_ fuck me and then the spell would be broken. Poor kid had confused lust with love. No matter, by the evening's end he would have learned the distinction between the two. The curtain would be lifted, exposing him to the reality of our situation. He will no doubt be ashamed of what he had done, but then overjoyed because he will know how to please a girl – one he loves, one who truly deserves his love.

_They fuck one of us so they know what the hell to do when they wanna empress a bitch._

He would find someone else, there would always be another girl waiting on the sidelines for him to choose her. He'd make her happy. He'd love her and he'd give her pleasure, and he'd dance with her at night, and he'd flaunt her to his friends because he'd want everyone to see how gorgeous she is, and he would take her to the moon.

He'd take her to _our_ moon and she'd cry at its beauty and he'd wrap his arms around her and she wouldn't turn away, she'd snuggle closer to him because she'd know that she belonged there. He'd take her to the diner and laugh at her jokes and throw her over his shoulder and kiss her lips when he thought people were looking too closely.

He'd have her, she'd have him, and all I would be left with were shadows. I'd go back to that apartment to fuck one man after another until I finally died, only then it would be so much more unbearable because I'd be haunted by the ghosts of what-could've-been.

_It's just fucking, it means nothing if you don't want it to. Don't make up some little fantasy, there's no Prince Charming coming to swoop you off your feet. It's just screwing around as long as you keep it that way. _Tammy tried to warn me and up until I had met Teddy I never understood why she had felt the need to do so.

Feelings make everything so much more torturous because they give you hope. Hope of more than some shitty fuck with a grubby stranger, hope for a chance to live and be happy, hope for something that will never exist.

My arm falling asleep pulled me from my gloomy thoughts. I tried to wiggle away from his grasp to get some circulation back, but he was too strong.

"Teddy, what the hell are you doing?"

"We've gotta get to my house before my parents find out I'm not there! When's the next bus supposed to show?" He asked as his head whipped every which way in search of some mode of transportation.

It really was quite comical, his cluelessness when it came to everyday things. Everyone knows that if you want to get somewhere, and _fast_, you avoid the bus at all costs.

"Teddy, we've gotta take a cab if we wanna make it on time." I explained very slowly as if he were a first-grader. "Here, let me." He released me from his grasp and I strode purposely over to the curb. I stopped, popped my left leg out into the street – letting my dress slide upwards slightly, and raised my hand to signal a taxi.

One, two, three! Three cabs screeched to a halt. I turned back and laughed at Teddy's open-mouthed stare. _They're just legs…_

"Take your pick," I motioned for him to choose. He shook his head back to life and opened the door to the closest taxi.

"My lady," he gestured for me to go first.

Warm tingly feelings started to flutter in my chest area at his chivalry. Just one more thing to add to his list of perfections – he was a gentleman.

"Where to, Sir?" the cabbie asked Teddy though he was eye-balling me. I knew Teddy had noticed this because he clasped my hand tightly and pulled me to his side, curling me onto his chest. He really was quite overprotective though I didn't understand why, it's not like I would've boned the guy on the front seat or anything…

Teddy's tone was harsh, assertive, demanding, as he told the driver his address and then turned his head towards me, obviously to dismiss the man, it seemed to have worked. It was shocking to see how quickly he could make others heel. I saw him as a little teddy bear, soft and cuddly and cute, incapable of hurting anyone – except me.

It had been so long since I had last taken a cab that I forgot how intimate they could be. Even while riding alone you're so connected with everything – the driver, the city, the gorgeous boy who holds you in his arms. This was the stuff people wrote about, movies were made of, and dreams were built on – lying in someone's arms and feeling like time had literally stopped. When would it plan on starting back up again? Never, I hoped.

The feeling of his cold fingers grazing down my check pulled me from my reverie. My breath quickened as he moved to caress my bottom lip. The urge to kiss him was almost excruciating. It had been so long since I had just made out with a guy, but Teddy seemed to have made up for lost hook-ups. He didn't kiss me, though. He just stared way down deep into my eyes, paralyzing me. I panicked. _What can he see down there?_ _Why can't my eyes just lie like they normally do? What in God's name is this boy doing to me?_

It was in that tiny space, with his strong body pressed up against mine, and his sweet breath in my face that I decided I wanted to make love to him tonight. Not fuck, not just lay there and take it, not have simple sex – make love. If I took his virginity then it wouldn't matter what he'd do with other girls, where he'd take them, or what they'd share. I would always have that little piece of him that no one else could claim. He would always be mine, and in a way I would always be his. The man who took my purity away is faceless, forever wiped from my memory. There was no love, no gentleness, not even numbness – only pain. The men that followed, the countless men that had touched me, were all the same. Teddy would be different because, even if it wasn't ecstasy, it would be special, it would mean something.

My body sang with joy and anticipation – something I had never felt before. I wanted to be with him in that way. I wanted his hands all over me. I wanted his lips on mine. I wanted all of _him_ and no one else. How could he not realize that? His face when he had seen me talking to his friend was so pained, so _jealous_! Why? Did he actually think I found his friend alluring when I knew _he_ was in the same room?

Out of the corner of my eye I saw it, my stomach churned in disgust. "You have blood on your hands!"

Dried blood coated his knuckles, blood spilled for me. I could still hear the sound of his fist colliding with that boy's jaw. He deserved to have the wind knocked out of him, but not for what he had said to me, for all that shit he had put Teddy through. That whole group should get their asses beat if you asked me…

"I wish you hadn't pulled me away from that piece-of-shit," he growled as he stared at his browned fist.

"If I hadn't you'd be down at the police station getting booked on murder charges." I rolled my eyes. Men really are such beasts; their brains must be the only thing not to have evolved as time passed. See man want mate. Mate mine. Must kill man.

"And it all would've been worth it, baby." He laughed; the arm that was wrapped around me squeezed me slightly.

_Baby_. I wrinkled my nose. It certainly was one of the nicer names I had been called, but _they_ had still called me it. I was far too mortified to tell Teddy that, though. Besides, it wasn't too bad coming from his mouth. I just didn't want to associate _them_ with _him_.

He tried to hold my face again, but I flinched away in humorous repulsion. _Blood, gross!_

"Excuse me; do you have a wipe or something?" I finally addressed our driver. Teddy seemed none too pleased.

"Yeah these are from dinner," he handed me those citrus-scented hand sanitizing toilettes. His hand brushing against mine in an awkward way; Teddy stiffened in response. It didn't really affect me much; I had dealt with far worse.

The same look he had just before hitting that Patrick kid suddenly flashed across his face.

"Don't even think about it," I chastised. I rubbed the wipe against his hand in a circular motion, pressing harder in some areas than in others, until his hands were spotless and smelling like lemons.

"All clean!" I said in my mommy-talks-to-baby voice. Teddy seemed to find it cute and so did the cabbie – Fight Club round two.

His now-moist hand was wound tightly into a firm fist. He could be so easily agitated when it came to me and I couldn't decide whether or not that was a good thing. On one level I felt protected, I no longer had to fend for myself or worry about attracting the wrong man's eye. No man had ever made me feel safe, except maybe for Pops. On the other hand it was downright wrong for him to be so affected by the obscene amount of attention I received from the opposite sex. He could get angry, but he shouldn't feel the need to murder everyone! So what the guy touched me a little, who hadn't? I was used to it. It's normal to feel violated every now-and-then, isn't it?

I felt his body lean forward and I knew I had to do something before the situation escalated any further. Pretending not to notice his fierce attitude, I gave him a soft, lingering kiss, which, of course, wasn't good enough to sate him. Just as I expected he was quickly occupied with ravaging my lips. Despite his ferociousness, I wasn't alarmed. He wouldn't hurt me, of that I was certain. This wasn't pain this was passion, and the line between them is very fine.

He pulled away in exhaustion resting his back against the seat with his eyes closed tight. I took pride in his collapse; my lips did that to him. Mine and no one else's. Perhaps I was growing a little possessive, as well. Is this some sort of new STD or something because it's spreading like wildfire these days...?

I don't know what possessed me to do it – perhaps I had already succumbed to those "feelings" – but all the same I rested my head on his chest and found shelter in his arms. His body instantly rid itself of all pent-up anxiety; just the notion that I could ease him so made me smile. I closed my eyes for the duration of the ride, dozing off to the steady stream of the car. Normally I can't decide which are worse, my daytime or nighttime nightmares, but in that moment of utter tranquility, I welcomed sleep. There, in his arms, it was easy to pretend that the past two months had not occurred, that I was a normal high school girl coming home late with her equally-normal boyfriend. I would be filled with nerves at the prospect of kissing him especially if Pops was watching from the window with his baseball bat! I'd relax instantly because I'd know that G-ma would be waiting with her plate of double chocolate chip cookies and tall glasses of milk to offer to Teddy and I. Once Teddy finally left, Mom would listen as I rambled on about every detail of our perfect night together. They would love him, I just knew they would.

Teddy swiftly sprung forward, taking me with him, rudely interrupting my snooze. He threw the remainder of his cash on the front seat, not even bothering to collect his change. Heaving me out of the car I could see that he had given the driver the address to the far corner of his street where no house lied. We were already bounding down the road, passing house after immaculate house. The air smelled of the sea, it was refreshing. He continued down the lawn of the most impressive house on the block. It reminded me of those pictures of Tuscany, Italy I had seen in my Italian class. Bright lights seeped out onto the lawn through the great windows allowing me to see the hundreds of flowers that surrounded the house. Teddy pulled me to a stop just as the patio came into view, his backyard was probably an acre all its own. Its beauty astounded and pained me; we were obviously not cut from the same glass.

He pulled out his phone once more to fool around with some controls and operations that were foreign to me. I was never much of a genius when it came to technology. Give me a book and I can dissect it completely, give me and iPod and I'll crash your computer system trying to run iTunes.

"I can program our security cameras with my phone," he mumbled softly. I just nodded not even bothering to ask him how on earth he discovered/went about using such a device.

After spending a few minutes fiddling around with the alien object, he smiled triumphantly and pulled me into the backyard. The back light was on, there was a landing on the second story that was suitable for tea time and, no doubt, gave the lounger a perfect view of the fantastic scenery. Teddy used the edge of the stone hot tub to give him enough elevation to reach the balcony. Swinging his leg around the tall, metal barrier, he was finally up and looking quite pleased with himself.

"Step up," he commanded referring to the same means at which he had reached the top.

I was skeptic, my eyebrow arching high – it really has a mind of its own – but I did as I was told.

"Arms up." He was practically about to fall over the edge! Grasping my wrists, he pulled me like I was a rag doll. When we were nose-to-nose, he wrapped one arm around my waist and the other behind my legs to swing me over the ledge and through the broad glass doors.

We were in the middle some hallway; it was a rich nude color. The scent of cucumbers were in the air, the heat must have been on high because I was instantly toasty warm, and I could hear the faint sounds of people talking downstairs below.

"That's the last I want to hear of this dog nonsense!" It was a man's voice, smooth, authoritative but clearly agitated.

I couldn't hear anything else, I had already been whisked away to a dark room, Teddy managed to close the door somehow though I couldn't understand how since he still hadn't set me on my feet. This room smelled of his fresh, clean cologne. It didn't assault your senses, but it certainly enticed them. He continued to walk forward and stooped to set me on his bed, it was so comfortable! He finally turned on a lamp on the nearby nightstand. I squinted for a moment before my eyes fully adjusted and then I began my assessment.

The room was painted a blue-grey color, and had several thin black and white stripes bordering the walls. It was spotless, his bed made, everything dusted, I could tell the carpets were recently vacuumed. He had no posters or any touches of his personality on display. An amazing mantelpiece structure framed his bed. A few trophies were held there, special awards were placed in frames, and medals were put in casings. Even those seemed emotionless. No pictures? He had several books on the shelf closest to his bed; I quickly walked over to inspect them.

Seven books in total – Thomas Paine's _The Crisis_, Machiavelli's _The Prince_, Henry David Thoreau's _Walden_, Plato's _The Republic,_ C.S. Lewis' _The Abolition of Man_, Gunnar Myrdal's _An American Dilemma_, and F. Scott Fitzgerald's _The Great Gatsby_. The first six, all nonfiction, shared the category of philosophy. _Gatsby_ stands alone. The book appears to be falling apart, obviously from being read over and over again. I smile; it's my favorite, too.

Those seven books say more about him than anything else I had seen thus far. They depicted a young man who is strong on his principles yet secretly dreams of something more. Just what it was that he desired, I could not say – but I did know that he would fight for it, hard. Driven, the kid was driven.

I was instantly aware of him standing close behind me, his arms faintly wrapping around me. I should've told him "no", like I had before. I should've tried to resist the magnetic pull that was Teddy Grey. I could not swim yet I kept moving through the water, deeper and deeper as it went, with the knowledge that I would drown and the fearlessness not to give a damn. I swam farther – spinning in his arms to face him, the water was becoming an indigo blue. When I looked down, I couldn't see my feet, I didn't even bother to try and locate them; instead I looked up into the bright blue sky. It was so filled with promise that I could not turn away. _Drown me! Drown me, Teddy Grey!_

He kissed me, his hands moved to cup the sides of my face as he walked me backwards to lie on his cotton candy bed. I waited for the panic to follow the pressing feeling of his body on mine, but it never came. He showed no sign of stopping his progress and I was in no way motivated to give him any incentive to do so. My lungs were already overflowing with water and my brain was slowly going under, making any will to escape impossible. Brain dead, the boy made me brain dead.

"This," he panted, "is the first time I've brought a girl here." The words pulled me down farther; I was touching the ocean floor. My lips moved faster, stronger, hungrier. I wanted him to remember me when he came in here, how my lips touched his, how our tongues danced, because I certainly would never forget.

A rapping on the door froze us with panic. "Teddy?" A sweet voice called. "Can I come in, sweetie?" She asked.

He looked stupefied. I rolled out from under him, strolling into the massive closet with slots on the doors that allowed me to see him lying there, still unmoved.

"Y-yeah." _Smooth, real fucking smooth. _

"Oh, honey you look so worn out! You're going to fry your brain at this rate!" Her voice was so mother-like; you could just hear how much she loved her son.

When she finally walked into my line of sight I could see how beautiful she was. She wasn't one of those plastic-looking women who tried to fight the aging process as soon as they turned thirty. She looked soft, natural, radiant – she just lit up a room. No wonder why Mr. Gazillionaire married her.

"Don't worry about waking me up tomorrow, I'm planning on sleeping in late." My stomach twisted into tight knots, _so we will be spending the remainder of the night together_. . .

"Of course, sweet dreams honey." She kissed his forehead and then walked towards the door. She didn't walk out immediately, though. Before she left she warned Teddy that his father would be coming up to say goodnight in a moment.

"I'm counting down the seconds," he grumbled.

"Hey, stop this. You two have been butting heads for months now and I'm sick of it! He's trying, the least you can do is try, too." Damn she didn't take any shit, I liked her!

Quickly chastened, Teddy muttered his apologies and goodnight. Curiosity bubbled within me, having no father of my own I wondered if everyone had daddy-issues. I never really knew the "selfish bastard" who wasn't "worth our time" and by the way G-ma spoke of him I was glad. Still, I would've loved to have had him coach my softball games or help me buy my mom a birthday present or be the one I made Father's Day cards for. We probably would have fought every once and awhile, but we'd have my mom to keep the strings attached, like Mrs. Grey.

Two sharp knocks make me jump – these are the knocks of a powerful man, who waits for no one, who answers to no one. He doesn't wait for Teddy to bid him entry, he just strolls on in. It wasn't that I expected him to be all decked out in designer suits, but I surely wasn't expecting him in plaid pajama bottoms and a cotton white tee-shirt. I guess even the rich like to be comfy at night, too.

Teddy certainly gets his good looks from his father – same muscular build, same color hair, same chiseled features, and same king-of-the-jungle attitude. I suppress a giggle, two kings who are ruled by queens.

"You've got your mom all worried about you, you know?" He chuckles softly. In all my economic textbooks he never looked so glamorous. . .

"When'd you two switch places?" Teddy asked his voice thick with sarcasm.

"Phoebe's been eyeing the boys, took most of my attention off you," they both growled a bit at the thought. Poor girl probably wasn't encouraged to date. The tension had dissipated fractionally as humor hung in the air.

As an afterthought Mr. Grey whispered, "You don't have to stress about anything. You're a good kid, a _bright_ kid. You'll always succeed because failure isn't acceptable for you. Relax, go out, have fun, with security of course." He laughed.

"Look who's telling who to relax," Teddy chuckled. "Goodnight, Dad."

"Goodnight, Son." He kissed Teddy on the top of his head and then headed out the door, closing it shut behind him.

I slunk further into the rack of clothes; Teddy was approaching the closet now with a smile on his face. When he opened the doors he started to move the shirts aside, looking for me. Too bad I was on the opposite end of him. I bolted from the closet feeling giddy and in the mood to play some catch me if you can. Teddy seemed game, so I ran as he chased me. His room was big enough to allow us a few moments of real fun, before I had nowhere else to run. He captured my waist and swung my down on the bed. The only thing he seemed interested in was kissing me until my lips fell off. Now it was my turn to be game.

He kissed me hard, he kissed me soft. His lips moved fast, his lips moved slow. Tongue, no tongue – he altered his mouth every which way on me. It wasn't long until I was completely breathless.

"Gosh, Teddy will you stop eating her face? We have leftovers downstairs if you're really that hungry." The girl standing at the foot of the bed laughed – Phoebe, I presumed.

"Get the fuck outta here!" Teddy grumbled as he rolled onto his back.

"What do you see in this asshole?" she asked me as she flipped her long brown hair over her shoulder, she had her mother's hair but her father's piercing eyes.

"I think he's sweet," I defended softly and tried to hide my dorky smile. "Thanks for helping us tonight that was really nice of you." I added to placate her. It seemed to work.

"She's too pretty for you," she scoffed at Teddy and then looked back at me, "you can do better." Oh how little she knew!

I was surprised when Teddy scooped me up in his arms and kissed me on the top of my head. "Can't argue with you there, Feebs," he shrugged.

I rolled my eyes; both Greys narrowed theirs in response. Ignoring them, I kissed Teddy's cheek and smiled. "I'm the one who's lucky." He rolled _his_ eyes. "Oh it's ok when you do it?" I huffed, he shrugged.

"Pain in the ass, huh?" Phoebe giggled.

"Phoebe, get out, go bother someone else." Teddy's level for tolerance was on its low.

"Only if you promise to bring her around here more often – I like her," Phoebe whined.

I froze. How could he promise something like that? He couldn't! It was only tonight, this was only tonight, and we were only tonight. Surely he knew that.

"Yes, I promise, now goodnight!"

Everything went blank; I was definitely having a stroke. Maybe he was just trying to get rid of her by telling her what she wanted to hear. Yes, yes it was only that.

"Goodnight Vivienne! Teddy, I hate you." She went off skipping out of the room.

"She's not as adorable in person, now is she?" Teddy laughed as he got up off the bed. I couldn't respond my head was still spinning in circles. I just stared up at him wide-eyed, trying to find some sanity in his insane words. He offered me none.

I had to get up, move around, to allow some oxygen to my brain. I was on the verge of passing out. I walked over to the huge windows and stood beside his desk. _Yes, I promise. Yes, I promise. Yes, I promise._ Was it a promise to me or to Phoebe? Did he really mean it?

I had drowned, fully and completely drowned. My lifeless body bobbed to the surface, the sun was on my back yet I could not feel its heat. Worst still, I had pulled Teddy under with me. The poor boy had no experience; I should've kept the lines clear for his sake. Selfish, I was disgustingly selfish.

He was dressing behind me but I was too sickened to turn around and enjoy the show. What girl wouldn't give to be standing in my shoes right at that moment? Yet, there I stood undeserving and revolting.

Tears threatened to fall from my eyes; I tried so hard to keep them in. I couldn't have him feeling somewhat responsible for my emotional outburst. It was my entire fault – how could I blame him for my mistakes?

I looked around for something to distract me, to calm me. His homework lay open on the desk, perfect distraction. A scribbled-out and frequently erased calculus problem was water and I had been parading around the desert for far too long. I instantly found his mistake and smiled, my brain hadn't fully lost its capability to function properly. Picking up the pencil beside his textbook I began to correct the problem, pressing down on the lead tip hard – I was confident in my answer. When I looked back up Teddy was staring at me proudly.

"You know that's kinda hot?" He asked.

"Well that's one I've never heard before," I smiled sheepishly. He liked intelligent girls and I could be intelligent – most of the time.

He handed me a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt, his school emblem on the front. He wanted me to be comfortable, it warmed my heart. Usually everyone just want to see me naked or in bare minimal clothing.

I undressed in front of him, not caring the slightest at his gawking. In fact, I found it quite flattering – another first for me. I'm not gonna lie, I played it up a bit. Doing the occasional hair flip while provocatively sliding my clothes on and off. He was bright red by the time I was covered, Teddy Grey was bashful.

We were off to God-knows-where to do God-knows-what but I really couldn't care less. I was like a sponge trying to absorb all that I could of him. He would soon see me for what I really was; it was only a matter of time before he was running for the hills. After all, he still had a chance of reaching the surface unharmed. He still had not drowned.


	9. Somebody Told Me

It Happened One Night

**Ok so I know this I took forever to post! I'm so sorry dolls! I hope this was sort-of worth the wait! I promise I'll try to update as soon as possible. The real reason I've been so behind is because I'm working on a new story :D it's still not done yet because I'm trying to make it PERFECT! But I hope when I do post it, you all will check it out! So please leave your amazing comments and tell me how horrible this chapter is! **

**Oh! And everyone please check out the author PerhpasPerhapsPerhaps her stories are amazing and she is a very gifted writer. Her fanfics are hands-down my favorites! Especially Darkness and White! So please just give them a shot!**

**And, as always, please leave me any suggestions you have that will improve my story. Thanks everyone! ~ Ava**

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~ Somebody Told Me – 11pm ~

As we passed by a little ristorante italiano, the scent of sauce assaulted my senses, making my mouth water, though my stomach was still full from our rather interesting meal in the rather interesting diner. The soft chimes of a piano flowed out into the streets, which were almost abandoned at that point. We stopped at the café's window to enjoy the pretty tune and watch the people pass by. Some of them were wanderers – like Vivienne and I – others seemed to have a purpose – I didn't envy them. This vagabond style of life that accompanied Vivienne was starting to get addictive. For one night I wasn't worried about what I had to do, why I had to do it, or how important it was to do it right – blah, blah, blah. I was seriously considering running away to become an artist. I suck at drawing.

"And that's why birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it! Let's do it, let's fall in love…" Vivienne's singing just melted my heart. I looked over at her, wondering what had suddenly possessed her to bust out into song. Then, to my utter disappointment, her singing ceased.

"Cole Porter," she said simply, trying to offer up an explanation. Who's he? "The song playing in the piano bar… Don't tell me you've never heard of Porter!" Her horrified look made me smile.

"Okay, I won't tell you." I joked, the goofy grin glued on my face. I probably looked like a dumbass, but I couldn't care less. I had given up all hopes of acting cool, calm, and collected in her presence.

"How do you live with yourself?" she asked with fake astonishment.

"I just try to push through the endless void in my life," I sniffled; if I tried hard enough, I could sport some crocodile tears.

"_You_ seem to be in a better mood," her eyes slanted slightly. I looked down at her from the corner of my eyes, not even bothering to fight their desire to rake over her form. There was something about that girl in my sweats…

"I have no idea of what you're talking about." I shook my head from side to side. It was a lie. How could I forget the elation that followed my earlier outburst?

I knew that just below the surface of being awed, she was bothered by what I had done. I didn't want to be the object of her anger, so I thought it best to change the subject before things got heated. "Do you take Calculus?" I inquired, remembering her intervention of my homework.

She beamed instantly. She loved calculus, though she preferred statistics – something the old man would have definitely approved of. Science really wasn't her thing. Yeah science never really floated my boat either. Like history? Neither of us did, mainly because the teachers were shit. Foreign Language? I took French – not Chinese? – Ha, ha, no! She studied Dutch and a few common African dialects on some online course. African? – I went through an I-must-join-the-Peace-Corps phase. We both loved economics, personal finance, and business law. You gonna take over Dad's empire? – I don't really mind, it's what interests me. I wanted to ask her of her ambitions, but I refrained from doing so. It might have upset her…

Silence crept up between us, but it wasn't unbearable. People are always afraid of the quiet, especially in the company of other people, but if you can stand by another person and still feel like you're connected without having to exchanging any words, then you've formed an unbreakable bond. It wasn't until I noticed she had fallen into deep thought that I became frightened. I didn't want her thinking this whole thing was a mistake, I didn't want her to go running back to that apartment. I just wanted her to stay with me. Most of all, I wanted her to want to stay with me. I had already surrendered myself to her; it would be a dream if she gave herself to me. I could make her happy, I _did_ make her happy. She made me happy. Isn't that all that really mattered?

I was kidding myself because I knew deep down that when your sixteen forever seems doable. Unfortunately, it isn't. Forever is meant for those who know who they are and what they want. I changed my mind at a mile a minute; she could change hers, too. Maybe I didn't need forever, even if I most certainly wanted it! I would be perfectly content for the rest of my days if I knew she was protected and happy and sometimes thought of me. I wouldn't even care if she fell in love with someone else, as long as I was sure he treated her right I would gracefully bow out.

My agenda became to _make_ her safe so that she _could_ be happy. I don't know how kicking the shit out of people fit into the equation – perhaps I wanted her to realize that she was worth throwing a few punches for. She had some serious self-image issues. I could not comprehend that either, she was fucking amazing in every way. I, on the other hand, was boring, stiff, controlled – completely unworthy of her.

She weaved her arm through mine and began to hum as she rested her head on my shoulder.

"Will you sing for me?" I asked craving her sweet voice.

"Only if you join in!" she giggled.

"Um no. I don't sing." I never really tried to, but this was not the time to learn I was tone-deaf.

"Me neither," she had me there. I would probably give my right arm to hear that angelic voice of hers, let alone face humiliation in her presence.

"I don't know any songs." I seriously needed to work on my excuses because that one was just as lame as "the dog ate my homework".

"I've got sunshine, on a cloudy day…" she trailed off leaving me to fill the gap.

Here goes nothing, "when it's cold outside, I've got the month of May…." _That didn't sound too bad…_I could tell she thought I sounded pretty good when she smiled her signature smile and gestured for me to continue.

In unison, the chorus tumbled from our cold lips. "Well, I guess you say, what can make me feel this way? My girl, my girl, my girl. Talkin' 'bout my girl, my girl…"

Vivienne squealed softly and clapped her hands, "our harmony is spot-on. 'I don't sing' my ass!"

I shrugged in response, though inside I was fist pumping to some shitty club music. I had awed her once more. Note to self: kicking the shit out of assholes + singing = Vivienne's smile anything in the world. Now that was something I wished they'd teach me in Calc!

"You know that's kinda hot?" she chuckled as she mimicked my voice.

"Yeah, I do actually. In fact, I get that all the time." I laughed as her jaw fell wide open.

"You…" she gasped as she began elbowing my side, laughing as I pretended to be mortally injured.

"I think this is an abusive relationship and that I need to seek help immediately," I clutched my battle wounds, Vivienne just giggled some more.

"I'm sorry," she whispered as she kneeled down to kiss my side. I thought I was about to have a heart attack from the extreme shock. "Does it skill hurt?" she asked, peaking up at me from her long lashes. I nodded meekly so she continued to caress my chest and stomach with her beautiful lips.

"My mouth hurts, too" I whined.

"I didn't punch you there!" she squealed. "You're nothing but a big phony!"

I frowned, I really wanted that kiss. Spoiled Teddy Grey had been denied!

"That's one," I mumbled into her ear as we resumed walking.

"One what?"

"Kiss you owe me," I laughed and pulled her closer.

The rest of our "grueling" hike was in silence. I liked to watch the streetlights' reflections in the small puddles in the street as they changed colors. I hated when it turned red because it looked like a murder had just taken place, the yellow was alright but it wasn't exciting, not like the green. Green – go, move. A brilliant green sea that looked so inviting. Green, like her eyes.

I wondered if from there on out every time I thought of something it would instantly relate to her. Green like her eyes, smooth like her skin, soft like her hair, musical like her voice, tender like her heart, sad like her soul…

This love thing was all so strange. There's no real way to describe it. Everything she did was just so magical to me. I was so consumed with feelings that I would be empty if she wasn't around. I dreaded the inevitable moment when we would have to say goodbye. Would there be another hello?

I finally found the fucking bus stop, by then my hands were frozen solid. There was a tiny gathering of people along with us, waiting to catch one of the last buses of the night. I just prayed that the ride to the Fairmount would be a short one, this cold air was starting to irritate me. _Ha! What doesn't? _As I thought of the hotel, something strange started to bubble in my stomach.

Vivienne started giggling beside me, but I was too tense to find it as adorable as I normally would have.

"What is it?"

"My shoes totally don't go with this outfit!"

"They're nice."

"They're new."

"Yeah?" Gurgling and twisting the feeling made me feel slightly warmer, but not the comfortable kind. It was the clammy feeling you get when you're sick – hot and cold at the same time. I couldn't think about anything but that room, the one this girl would be sharing with me. One room. One bed. One gorgeous, gorgeous girl…

"Are you ok? You're looking kinda sick…" she asked, concern coating her tone. I definitely felt 'kinda sick'!

"Hmm? Yeah I'm alright. It's probably that dinner you forced me to eat," I joked trying to lighten the mood and the heavy boulder that rested in the pit of my stomach.

"More like the Bruce Lee stunt you pulled earlier," she retorted. I'm guessing the Doo-Wop was not something to be taken lightly with this girl.

"Just admit that you liked it," I challenged.

"Nope, never. Not even in your dreams." Hmm…I instantly thought back to when I used to torture Phoebe as a child. It was simple. All you had to do was…put your hands on her hips…have a firm grip…and then proceed to tickle the living daylights out of her.

Vivienne started gasping and choking for air as she contorted her body every which way, trying to escape me. Soon she was whimpering, but all I could do was laugh.

"Teddy!" she whined.

"Admit it! Say you liked it and I'll stop." When she didn't say anything, I moved my hands up towards her ribcage and continued my assault on the more sensitive area. Though I was saddened fractionally by how exposed torso was – it was obvious that she was not eating as she should have.

_Way to go! You've completely morphed into the beast. Next thing you know you'll be demanding nine to ten hours of sleep and twenty-four-seven Secret Service protection. _

"Ok! Ok! I liked it! I liked it!" she shouted over and over.

My fingers froze, but my hands continued to hold her close. The heat emanating from her was like a Yule Log burning in the fireplace at Christmas. Not that we actually used the fireplace, it was a "hazard".

I was so wrapped up in my snarky mind and anticipation of what was to come, that I didn't notice how rigid Vivienne had become. I looked down at her, trying to understand what was wrong and when I did, I tensed up too. Her mouth had popped open, her breathing had slowed significantly, and her face had lost all its coloring. Her eyes were bulging out of their sockets as they focused on something across the street – what? I followed her line of sight to come to rest on some guy standing there. Tall, a couple years older than us, mildly good-looking, and staring straight at her. A menacing smirk glided across his face. She quaked like a leaf.

"Get me outta here." She begged and I knew she was on the verge of tears.

I had my hand around her arm, using it to guide her limp body down the opposite avenue away from the small crowd. I knew I had to get her out of there, something dangerous was lurking near. Still, I couldn't fathom why she would respond so – it's not as if he could have hurt her with me standing there. I realized how in-the-dark I was in this whole convoluted relationship. I wanted to understand and I wanted to hear the truth – yet, I didn't at the same time. I was afraid of how things would change if it would finally sink in that she wasn't normal. Would I run? I always fucked things up, even when I hadn't meant to. She was the only thing worth trying for and the only thing it would really hurt to lose.

Maybe she thought I was too good for her, but I couldn't have her thinking that. There were things about me that weren't so heroic. There's no such thing as the perfect person.

I longed to tell her it was her pain, and the strength she had produced from such pain, that made her so desirable to me. The mere fact that she was still alive, that she could still smile, was proof of how tough she was. So why had she cowered at the sight of some random man? She threatened to castrate my friend! She was fucking fearless!

Was it an act? I had to know. It was time to face reality. I would be disillusioned no longer.

"Who was he?" I asked my voice monotone. I had brought her into an empty lot – we needed the seclusion. Strange, how we always experienced our most intimate moments in alleyways, even though they were considered to be a no-no area for the young and naïve.

"Nobody," she shook her head furiously, like she was trying to remove him from her mind.

"Well he definitely caused a lot of trouble for a 'nobody'," I remarked.

"I said he was nobody, ok? Drop it." I had never seen her so distressed, especially towards me. It worried me even further; it made me feel powerless!

"You know a lot of things seem to be either 'nothing' or 'nobody' to you, but they look pretty important to me. Especially if they make you act so strange." I was pissed off again, I was trying to help her and she just wouldn't let me. "If I didn't know any better I'd say you were enjoying all this attention." I added, knowing it would get a rise out of her.

"You fucking bastard! Don't you ever make any assumptions about me!" she screamed. Screaming was good; it was emotion – raw emotion. I had to break her down before I could build her up.

"Why not? I'm just another Nobody, I can look and say and do anything I want where it concerns you." She froze; it was seeping through – good. I had to keep going; I had to push her over the edge.

"Who the fuck do you think you are, huh?" she yelled, shocking me momentarily.

"I wonder who _you_ think I am. If you saw me walking down the street and someone asked you who I was, would you say 'nobody'?" I mocked.

"Please –" she started, but I cut her off.

"I wanna know! I think it's only fair, don't you? I paid seven-hundred bucks for the full Vivienne experience, I'd at least like to know what the package entails." I could see my words slice through her, causing her incalculable suffering, but I didn't stop. If it took fucking up all chances I had with her to get her to see the situation for what it was and leave this life behind, than I would gladly do so.

"So this is the real you huh? I was wondering when you'd make an appearance. Is that you're game? Making people think you're all sweet and innocent? Making me believe that you saw me as anything other than what I am?!" She shouted as tears strolled down her face.

"It's not me who has a problem with you; it's _you_ who's got the problem with you! In what sick twisted world is it ok for those pricks to touch you, talk to you, and fuck you like they do? It's not ok! _It's not fucking ok_!" My voice had risen so loudly that I was sure the whole city had heard me. It didn't matter, so long as _she_ heard me – heard me and processed what I was saying and realized how right I was.

"You-you wouldn't get it, ok? And I hope you never have to. I wouldn't want anyone to have to get it! Don't act like you do!" She begged, tears streaming down, down, down. How could someone make so many tears?

"I want to understand." I told her truthfully. I stood before her once more and carefully wiped every tear that fell away.

"No you don't," she insisted.

Suddenly, I knew what I had to do. She had to realize that my life wasn't as hunk-dory as it appeared to be. She had to hear about the skeletons in my closet – though there were few. I sucked in a deep breath, locking my eyes with hers. It was time to make _her_ understand _me_.

"Last year I went to this party…"

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**HA! HA! HA! Left you hanging! xD oh! I'm dying inside! ~Ava**


	10. With or Without You

It Happened One Night

**I just wanted to take this moment to clear up any confusion that you might have had regarding Chapter 9. I know I kind of went from the Grey's house at the end of Chapter 8 to the streets of Seattle in the beginning of Chapter 9. I really just felt that writing all about how they left the house and such would just be too much of a humdrum. I like to skip things that I feel aren't needed, especially when I want to get to the core issues of the story (like in this chapter!) I hope most of you understood the little jump from scenes. I usually don't introduce whose point of view the chapter is in because I like fading in and having the readers (you guys) use your little thinking caps to figure it out. **

**Also, to avoid further confusion, the italicized passage below is a flashback; however Vivienne is hearing the story from Teddy's mouth at the same time. I felt it would be much more interesting if you had the first-hand account of the story rather than his summarized version. **

**Finally, this week is school-free (hallelujah!) so I will be posting more frequently throughout that week. So keep an eye out for my updates :D And my new story is going well, but I am still considering whether or not to post it, mainly because I am not too sure where else to take it. So please also keep an eye out for that, too.**

**As always thanks so much for reading my little old story here! You guys are all simply amazing! Leave me any suggestions you may have because I will always consider your opinions! ~ Ava**

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~ With or Without You – 11:15pm ~

_ Grant Porter's three-story mansion housed some of the most infamous parties known to Seattle Prep. In the past month alone there had been thirteen brawls, eight stomachs pumped, and three children conceived. Only the most popular were invited to attend because Grant had a strict "no loser policy". So explain to me how _I_ got an invitation? Naturally, I was basking in the glory of going to a "senior party" as a sophomore. I'd be attending college parties next year at this rate! In order to secure my reputation as a "cool kid" I just had to show up, no ifs, ands or buts about it. There would be just one tiny roadblock to overcome, my father. _

_Tactfully, I waited until we were out fishing on the sound to broach the subject. Dad was always more at ease with a pole in hand. He was very quiet as I rambled on and on. Surprisingly he didn't shoot me down. I had to agree to not drink a single drop of beer, submit to a breathalyzer test if he suspected that I had gone against my word, and permit Saunders to patrol at a "reasonable distance". My mother would be under the pretense that I was merely staying over at Grant's house for the night with a couple of buddies. Mrs. Grey would certainly not approve of me going to a high school party were alcohol would undoubtedly be served. _

_ Perhaps "party" is not the suitable word to describe what the hell is going on at 13 Willow Tree Street. We are like a group of Amish kids during Rumspringa tasting freedom for the first time. At least a dozen vases are smashed, Duke – Grant's prized Saint Bernard – is wearing some chick's cheetah-printed bra, the alcohol had disappeared within the first two hours, and nearly every bedroom is occupied. A population spur would definitely occur in nine months time… _

_ There's music blasting from every floor creating confusion amongst those who dare dance. The house is so hot that the scantily clad girls seem natural. Most of them are shamelessly grinding on one another having consumed enough alcohol to drown out their cares. The sound of pots and pans falling turns everyone's attention to a very intoxicated Patrick fist-pumping on the kitchen counter. I collapse on the sofa in a fit of uncontrollable laughter. Little black spots are clouding my vision and my sore abs are clenching painfully. _

_ The guys were so happy to hear that I was going. They all toasted to some tequila in my honor (not that they wouldn't have anyway, but it was nice to feel celebrated). I felt like I actually belonged in my group of party-going, sex-crazed friends. Come Monday I would finally be able to join in on the inside jokes and outrageous stories regarding this outrageous night. Maybe I'd even get a little action and earn myself some bragging rights… _

_ A high-pitched squeal coming from next to me snaps everything back into focus. Looking over I see Elyse Mason sprawled over the arm of the couch. Her curly blonde hair is tousled sexily, her caramel eyes tear from the strain of her giggles, and her tank top is hanging so dangerously low I can see the top of her lace pink bra peaking out. It is practically screaming "take me off! Take me off!" I can't deny that I want to. She's the single most desired girl in our entire high school and I know any guy would kill to be sitting here next to her. _

_ She suddenly looks up at me, her expression so innocent. She looks like a five-year-old who got their hand caught in the cookie jar. I can't help but chuckle at the thought. She instantly brightens and nudges my shoulder._

_ "Teddy, we're fucking drunk!" After a moment of silence, she seems to register what she has just said and laughs at her confession. _

_ I catch Lucas' eye, he's got this smirk on his face which tells me he predicts I'm going to get laid tonight. Excitement flushes through my body; I can't feel my toes… _

_ "I'm glad ya came, Teddy. I usually don't see ya here!" I smile shyly. Elyse is the girl of everyone's wet dreams (mine included). I usually just dismissed those as "unattainable fantasies", but hearing her notice my presence sends waves of hope through me. Elyse Mason doesn't just screw around with anybody and tonight she has her sights set on me. _

_ "Let's get outta here, it's way too loud." She winked and grabbed my hand pulling me from the sofa. I followed, my dick taking all control and I was more than happy to release the reins. _

_ The music drifted as we climbed the massive staircase. Poor Mr. and Mrs. Porter would have a heart attack if they saw their house in its present condition. Crooked pictures, broken potted plants, and discarded beer cans thrown about the floor transform the once formal home into a frat house nightmare. My shoes stick to the gummy hardwood floors; someone probably tried to carry the keg up the stairs and spilled the damn thing. I would've been a little more pissed off at the lack of respect for the sweet, sweet Porters if it was not for Elyse's sweet, sweet ass swaying up the steps at my eye's level. I would __**destroy**__ that ass…_

_ At the final step she takes a swing of whatever is in her blue plastic cup and wobbles a little as she hums in appreciation. The second story is just as packed as the ground floor. The music playing from the speakers up here mix obnoxiously with the music that's blaring downstairs, though nobody is really listening; they are already too far gone to notice or care. Jeremy pats my retreating back and shouts his "congratulations". They'll probably have to throw another party next weekend in celebration of my rendezvous. _

_ When we approach the stairway that leads up the third floor my dick decides he can't wait much longer. I swoop down to carry her wedding-style; she thanks me by sucking at my neck with her soft lips. The feeling is incredible; it's no wonder why everyone talks about her like she is the world's greatest treasure. The fucking Hope Diamond has nothing on her. As I place her back down on her high-heeled feet, something inside her sparks. She starts to walk me down the vacant hallway until I am pressed up against a lone, dominating window at its end. The cool glass is a stark contrast to my flamed body. Her fingers are weaved in the belt loops of my jeans, turning me on majorly. Our lips and tongues are wild! I can taste the alcohol on her fueling my fire further. Her moans are très sexy and I can only pray that mine don't sound so stupid. (Though I'm not sure how that can be, I'm still worried about it). _

_ She suddenly steps back and goes to unbutton my jeans. My dick's about ready to explode from the excitement. He's been without for far too long. _

_ She takes another small step back to give her some room for what she's about to do and my heart grows cold. Her body starts to rock side to side and I can't fool myself into believing that she's going with the shitty music blasting downstairs. Fuck she really is drunk! _

_Now I can continue to let her do what I really, really, want her to. I can pretend that I didn't notice her intoxication. I can but I won't. It's not right to take advantage of her situation, she probably can't think straight. If she wanted to give it another go while she's sober, I'd be dropping these pants faster than a speeding bullet. Dickie over here will just have to wait until then because I'm not allowing her to go through with this. _

_ I lift her chin up so that I can look straight into her eyes – they are so unfocused. I can't believe I didn't realize how bad she was before. I'm such a prick! _

_ "Hey, you're really drunk. Maybe we shouldn't do this right now." I whisper softly, reassuringly. Her eyes bulge up in shock and a small smile creeps across her lips. _

_ "Everyone's right ya know? When they say you're sweet…" her lips press softly to mine and her hands abandon ship. _

_ "Come on, let's get you outta here." I smile._

* * *

_I wake up with a sore body and an even sorer brain. I'm glad I didn't drink or else this would be unbearable. My only sense of comfort is the scent of Mrs. Taylor's pancakes sizzling downstairs. Leave it to her to brighten my shitty Sunday. I wonder if she put chunks of bananas in them just like always. I don't doubt it; Mrs. T always comes through for me._

_ I stroll into the kitchen/eating area in nothing but my favorite workout pants. Momma Duck and Baby Duckling are out shopping for a dress for Baby Duckling to wear to her spring formal. _

_ "Spring FLING! Gosh get it right, Teddy!" I can hear the annoying "quack, quack, quack, quack" of my pain-in-the-ass sister. I almost chuckle. _

_ Dad sits in his normal chair reading the Sunday papers. He keeps glancing impatiently at Gail over his shoulder. Guess I'm not the only one craving pancakes… _

_ "Good morning, Theodore," he greets. Oh shit, I'm "Theodore" when I do something wrong. _

_ "Mr. Grey," I nod. This is my usual response to his business-like demeanor. As usual, he's not amused. _

_ I figure I might as well be grateful since he actually let me do something totally un-Fifty last night. Fifty Shades of Surprises – I love using Mom's nickname for him and wittily shaping it to my advantage. _

_ "Thanks for cutting off the umbilical cord last night. I had fun," I winked as I settled into my designated seat. _

_ "Well, I'm glad you behaved accordingly." He doesn't sound angry, but he set his paper down which means I'm going to get lectured. Here we go. _

_ "While we have this time together I was hoping we could discuss something." He starts; he never gets straight to the point. He likes me to be a little uneasy and though it pisses me off, I always take notes. His is an art to be studied and mastered._

_ "Alright go ahead." Like he needed my consent… _

_ "Theodore we have already discussed safe sex, the importance of using a condom and such. I do however wish to remind you that STD's can be spread through more than just normal intercourse. It is unacceptable for you to engage in any sexual acts with someone you hardly know. You have no idea what diseases they could be carrying, especially if it is someone who performs sexual acts often and with numerous partners." _

_ My stomach knots. He fucking thinks Elyse went down on me last night! I feel so violated! I feel so fucking exposed! He's my fucking father for fuck's sake! Nothing even happened and if it did it would be none of his fucking business! _

_ Saunders must've seen us through the window. I'm going to vomit. It's like I have no fucking privacy! Does he record me taking showers? Is he going document when I lose my virginity? Is he fucking insane? _

_ "Fuck you Dad! You don't know shit about what happened last night!" I shout. I see Gail jump from my sudden outburst and Dad looks stunned. I have never cursed at him before, never. _

_ "That's enough, young man. I know plenty." He shakes off his surprise and goes back into CEO mode, though he is visibly trying to hold in his fury. _

_ "Obviously not, you sick fuck! I'm done – fucking done with you, this house, this family, the fucking baggage that seems to accompany being your fucking son…" I can see my words hurting and infuriating him, but I do not stop. I cannot stop. _

"_I. Hate. You. More than you can fathom. I don't know how anyone can put up with your shit! How dare you do that to me! How dare you assume shit about me! I would think that you had more respect for me …" The screaming match had only just started and my hatred for him had only just been spawned. I could feel myself distancing from him as if the red sea of our special bond had been parted. I would never forgive him. Never._

* * *

My breathing was ragged as my body filled with the familiar rage towards my father. It quickly melted to remorse – our once solid relationship had been reduced to utter shambles. I missed those easy days where I aspired to be everything he was and when he had looked at me with nothing but pride. The entire dynamic of our home had changed – everything was just so fucking cold now. Ghosts of the past haunted us at every corner. It probably did not seem so earth-shattering to others as it did to me, but this was my family that was slowly fading into more and more bitterness. Could we find our way back to what we had once been?

Looking into Vivienne's grief-stricken eyes, I had found my answer. I would work to restore my relationship with my dad because I owed it to all those who did not have the opportunity to do so. Why throw away what others would kill to posses? I wondered if Vivienne had a family. Did she want one? She could have mine...

They'd love her, Phoebe already did and she was one tough nut to crack. I could see everyone dotting on her. Her intelligence and humor would certainly enchant the masses. Who wouldn't love her? Even cold-fish Fifty would love her, probably more than he did me. Not that I would blame him if he did, she was so easy to love whereas I was not. I was Twenty-Five Shades of Cray and she was the most perfect creature God had ever created. Too bad she couldn't see how wonderful she was; perhaps it was best that way, perhaps it was the reason why she stayed with me.

"I get what it's like to feel like your life isn't your own. How you don't have any control over what happens to you… if it's even like that for you. I just want to know and I want to get it. I don't want you to hide from me because I can't hide from you. Just please help me understand, please!" I beseeched her. I could feel tears forming in my eyes, tears of fear – fear that she did not care enough for me to reveal who she was.

She hesitated; this was it, the moment of truth. I knew this was difficult for her, but it had to be done. I needed to know everything if I was going to get her out of this fucking mess. Despite my growing impatience I remained outwardly patient; I would wait forever if that's what it took. She needed a moment's peace to make her peace and I would not deny her that.

"I…I…" she gulped. "You-you have to…it's just…" she was struggling, but she was still trying and that was enough for me.

She took a deep, staggering breath and then exhaled suddenly, as if she were releasing the deadliest poison from her lips. Those beautifully sculptured lips which released to the world her magic. The same lips which could cause my utter pain by the sound of her rejection and complete elation at the promise of her affection. They held the secrets of an angel, one that had visited Hell and was still desperately trying to hold onto that tiny fragment of Heaven. Funny, the only Heaven I'd ever need was her, my angel.

The emotion in her eyes – those glorious green stars – changed from fear to resolve, though the tears flowed more freely now. It must be much harder to expose the truth than live the lie and she had certainly lived one fucked up lie. Dread etched within me; if the lie was so terrible, how unbearable was the truth?

"It hurts…so bad. I try-I try so hard to just deal with it, but it never goes away. I've seen some of them…afterwards and it's always the same feeling…In my mind they're faceless because then they don't exist and I don't have to deal with reality. Until the face appears and-and-and….and it all becomes real." I vaguely realized that I too was crying. I wouldn't let it stop her, though, now that she was finally talking.

"It wasn't like they said it would be…it wasn't fucking 'nothing' and it wasn't 'special'!" she screamed suddenly, startling me. "I want to know why it can't just be numb for me like it is for all the other girls! Why? Why am I the only one being punished?" She started to pace up and down the alley, her hands gripping her hair so tightly I was sure she'd rip it out.

"I left because I thought it was the right thing to do. I was trying to do the right thing! I didn't mean for it to be this way! I didn't! I was just so _desperate_!" she rambled, her words becoming jumbled. Her breathing accelerated, her fingers pressed into her temples, and her steps were morphing into furious stomps.

Just when I thought she had reached her climax, that she would explode, she stopped. Her body grew completely still. Her eyes snapped up to mine, they were so cold and hard that they frightened me. This was not the Vivienne I was accustomed to seeing, but I loved her still, ferociousness and all. The two pools of algae widened in alarm, had she read my thoughts? Her body started to tremble, though she tried to fight the crumbling until she could stand it no longer, and rushed into my arms surprising and delighting me all the same. I fisted my hands in her hair with one hand and clutched tightly at her waist with the other. It was like everything was whole again even if I had not noticed it was broken in the first place.

"I'm so scared, I'm just so scared." She whimpered over and over, her head lulling from side to side. Scared of what? I was dying to know. I wanted to chase every fear away with my simple presence. I longed for her to realize that I would never allow any harm to come to her ever again. This fucked up world had tarnished her so that I wondered if she would ever feel worthy of being rescued. If she didn't she'd go back to that Hell-hole to wither away and I could do nothing about it. I couldn't save her if she wouldn't let me. Maybe she wanted someone to come and be that white knight, but maybe that someone wasn't me.

A cold, dead fear swept over me. I couldn't stop myself from whispering, "I'm scared, too," because I was, I truly was. The need I had for her was only second to the need I had for her to be protected. I would settle for being alone if I could at least accomplish getting her out of harm's way. I was terrified that she may not permit me to bring her deliverance.

I couldn't think about it much longer, or else I'd go mad. I shoved those horrible doubts down and focused on making sure she was still intact. I'd worry about all the rest when the time came. The violent sobs had ceased, her body had gone limp with exhaustion. It had been a trying day for the both of us and the future wasn't looking any less complicated.

I tugged on her hair gently, bringing her face into my view. Her eyes were puffy, her cheeks were mapped with rivers of tears, and her lips were swollen. I wondered how someone could look so broken and still so beautiful. I probably looked like the poster child for why you all should get vaccinated during flu season. The thought almost made me smirk, almost.

I had this urge to just kiss her, but not on the mouth – it was too intimate a place. After what she had said I was afraid she'd think of me like she thought of them, that I was just another nameless monster who used her broken body for my own sick pleasures and terrorize her afterwards. I needed for her to know that I cared if she was in pain physically and emotionally. So I kissed her forehead instead and she almost smiled, almost. Her icy skin catapulted me back to reality; it was practically fucking eight below! She could die of pneumonia or something….you get pneumonia from being in the cold right? I don't fucking know, but even if illness wasn't a factor, I still wouldn't want her suffering unnecessarily.

"Come on, let's get you outta here." We almost started to laugh, almost.

* * *

A shiver crept down my back slowly, creating an unbearable shaking spell that last for a few tormenting moments. I would deal with the cold and the wind, but the slushy rain was slowly chipping away at my resolve. I had only been in Seattle for one week and it had rained each day. It was clear that this fugitive had not brought the proper attire for her flee. I should write a book, _What Not to Do When You Run Away From Home_, it would be "for dummies" since a dummy like me could surely benefit from this sort of information.

Rule Numero Uno: always have enough money for food. Though the children of Africa would have probably laughed at my weakness, I was crippled with hunger. It had been five days and one night since my last meal – a pretzel from some grimy vendor. My tongue was thick with thirst and the fatigue was wearing me down.

I had curled myself up on a park bench and tried to surround myself with as much warmth as possible. The only thing I succeeded in doing was morphing into the perfect victim. Anybody could just walk by, physically overpower me, and leave me for dead in the dark of night. I idly wondered if the news would reach Lewiston so that my family would be spared the anxiety over my disappearance.

_Clack, clack, clack, clack_ – the sharp tramp of heels were fast approaching me. I looked up to see a pretty blonde girl unwrap her new packet of cigarettes, throw the plastic coating away in the trash can next to me, and light up the foul-smelling cancer-stick. She pulled in a deep breath of black smoke and then exhaled it calmly; the wind carried it straight to my face. My weak coughs startled the tall girl though she quickly acted as if my presence was known all along.

"Wanna puff?" she asked holding out the deadly joint towards me.

"Huh?" I was too tired to make sense of anything.

"Of my Camel, it'll make ya feel better," she giggled and walked over to sit next to me.

"Sure," I muttered as I accepted her offering. I tried to be as cool as her, but upon taking a deep puff I started to painfully cough. The burn in my throat did not go unnoticed and it was nice to feel something other than sadness or hunger for a change.

The girl's strangled laughs matched my gasps for air. "Stupid, if it's your first time you don't inhale!" _She tells me now!_ She took the damn thing from my finger tips and proceeded to suck in and blow out the disgusting chemicals. She shook her head several times before turning towards me.

"So how long since you left home?" she asked.

"Is it really that obvious?"

"Fuck yeah. Ya look awful! Don't worry I've been there before. I'm Tammy," she smiled brightly.

"Vivienne," I mumbled, distracted with picturing just how _awful_ I looked.

"It doesn't have to be like this, ya know? You can come home with me for the night and then we'll take you to the bus tomorrow." I wasn't too sure why she was being so nice to me – me who was so unworthy of anyone's sympathy or kindness. I was just too worn out to think so negatively and I probably would've gone home with anyone at that point.

"You'd do that?" I asked feeling tears building in my eyes. The girl's face softened, her hands went to my hair to try and soothe me, but it was futile.

"It's not like it's my house anyways," she giggled and roughly pulled me from the bench as she dragged me down the street. I was confused by her remark, but I didn't bother to question my savior.

"Listen Rodney's a dick sometimes but I worked hard for him today so he should cut us some slack," she winked. I just nodded; I was so numb to everything going on that nothing she seemed to say fazed me. We could've been walking into Ted Bundy's apartment and I wouldn't have given two shits.

"He's really not all that bad. Everyone says he loves me, so I just use it to my advantage. You see these earrings here? He bought them for me as a birthday present! The guy's practically putty in my hands!" she exclaimed. The feathered blue earrings were indeed pretty and I felt kind of bad for this Rodney guy. This chick obviously thought him pathetic. I pictured him a nerdy, skinny man with thick glasses who was head-over-heels in love with the leggy blonde.

"He doesn't care when I fuck other guys for a buck so how could he possibly love me?" Maybe he just knew he wasn't good looking enough for her? I didn't know what this girl wanted me to say? Did I fucking look like Dr. Phil? I had my own life to fuck up let alone worry myself with hers.

She started to climb the stairs to this run-down, red brick apartment. Almost all of the lights were on despite it being past midnight. From the second floor a red-head shouted down to us out of her yellow-draped window,

"Hey you crazy bitch! Ya turnin' lezzy on us?" She giggled and then shouted incoherently at something inside of her room.

"That's Lana; her brain's a little fucked up since she smokes way too much dope. She's still hilarious though! Don't worry you'll like her!" Tammy promised as she tugged me through the gaping black front door. It probably weighed more than me.

"Where the fuck you been?" A deep, roaring voice shouted from down the corridor. I jumped back instinctively, seems like my common sense had finally woken up and she was ready beat the shit out of me for being so incredibly stupid.

"Oh hush, I went to get some cigs! You know that!" Tammy challenged, the voice certainly didn't frighten her.

It obviously pissed off whoever she was addressing because moments later he came bounding towards her. I quaked. He was the equivalent of two of me in height and twenty of me in strength. His rippling muscles would be enough to frighten even the toughest of sorts and his dark eyes were unkind. He looked at me with distaste and I wasn't too sure if that was a good thing or not.

"What the Hell is this bean-pole doing here?" he asked gesturing towards me. I resented that comment; I was a cup size C, that's larger than most thank you.

"She's spending the night before she goes home tomorrow. She can stay with me!" She clapped her hands as she hopped up and down.

"Fuck no, Tammy!" the deep rumble made me jump.

"Why not? Rodney don't be such a shit –"

"She can't stay unless she pulls her weight." Rodney shrugged. He certainly wasn't the little nerdy boy I had envisioned before.

"Come on she'll only be staying one night!" Tammy protested.

"Listen girl, you only get to stay here if you get your ass upstairs and work it. Got that?" His tone was frighteningly calm, like I was a tiny puppy scared of my own shadow. Like he knew I wouldn't defy him and conform to his rules. I was so confused, so hungry and so tired. It does things to you – makes you frantic –and I found myself considering just going along with his demands for the promise of a bed to lie down in tonight.

"Alright, alright! I'll do whatever you want!" I suddenly found the ability to speak. His sly grin broke through to me – what I had just signed up for was bad.

"Excellent," he clapped. "Be ready in fifteen," he ordered and then disappeared down the same hallway of which he came.

Tammy clasped my hands in hers and stared me straight in the eyes. Her face looked so worried, like a mother's face. I abandoned that thought before I could think of my own mother. _How proud she would be to see you here_,a snarky voice sounded in my mind.

"Don't worry it's nothing – wham, bam, toodaloo mam! You just gotta lie there," she smiled reassuringly.

I looked behind me to stare at the large, heavy door. I knew what "job" he had for me and yet, I didn't know. I suppose my subconscious decided not to register the dangers of what I had agreed to, because if it did I would be out that door. Still buried deep under the fatigue was the hatred I had formed for myself. _Turn around and do what? Go home and fuck up your poor family's life even further?_ It was tempting to leave. I stared for just a moment longer at the door – my escape. The time had come for me to choose to leave or stay. The only thing I saw was my mother with her arms spread wide beckoning me to come back to her. It was so tempting that I almost walked out that frightening door and never looked back, almost.


	11. Nobody's Business

It Happened One Night

**This is gonna be a teeny-tiny short chapter :D **

**It's in THIRD PERSON! Enjoy loves ~ Ava**

* * *

~ Nobody's Business ~

For two months she had been the most sought after piece of ass in Rodney's litter of girls. That was not something to be taken lightly. Anyone who knows the streets knows the infamous pimp only employs the most desirable girls. In hushed whispers the crowds of horny men would gossip about the green-eyed siren. " Seventeen," they would exclaim in astonishment, "she's seventeen." In a year's time she'd be fully legal, though the men weren't sure if that was good or bad news. Something about her being underage made her all the more exciting. Seventeen meant she would be held down –she wouldn't be in control –she would be at their mercy. Once she turned eighteen it would all change and she wouldn't be the helpless little screw she was – how disappointing.

It had been weeks since he had last seen her – tasted her delicious flesh, but the memory still stuck with him wherever he went. When he was at the university listening to the ceaseless drones of professor after professor, he would think of her. Funny, he didn't even know her name….it was not important. He'd just ask for the one with the green eyes and his demands would be met. He was certain that she had thought about him too. He could still hear her moans of painful pleasure, feel her body trembling in excitement under his own, and see the tiny tears of passion that had rolled from her sparkling eyes, they tasted like the finest wine under his harsh tongue. She was worth the full four hundred that's for damn sure.

The cold November air bothered him to no end. He found himself wishing once more that he'd chosen FSU, at least it was warm in Florida. The only bus that he could take to get back home from his late shift at the restaurant never showed up on time, which meant that he was forced to wait in the frigid street. Every night he had to stand at the god-awful corner and listen to the annoying chattering of the old cronies who were still up past eleven. Not one hot chick ever showed up, he wasn't that lucky and God wasn't that kind.

Suddenly, the most beautiful sound hit him like a tidal wave. The prettiest laughter he had ever heard was coming from…from _her_. His green-eyed goddess was across the street! Was it not a mere hour ago that he decided to take her again for sanity's sake? Perhaps God was kind after all. He ought to go to church more often…

She was smiling and laughing as she endured a merciless tickling at the hands of-of a _boy_? He was about her age and certainly one whose looks attracted many. This was odd. He couldn't possibly be her boyfriend, Rodney was not one to share his girls. Yet, they looked so carefree like any high school couple. She looked happy and the boy looked head-over-heels in love with her. Who could blame him?

He kept trying to make eye contact with her from where he stood and, finally, he did. She froze immediately, surely she was remembering all that happened between them in those two heavenly hours. Perhaps she was thinking of ditching the punk to dash across the street and into the arms of which she rightfully belonged. He certainly hoped so!

She did no such thing. He could see her lips moving quickly and then the boy whisked her away. The anger was building and building at the sight of his gorgeous plaything leaving him, probably to go fuck this amateur. No, he would not allow that to happen. He wanted her for himself, though he knew Rodney would never give her to him. Unless…unless he got in Rodney's good graces and he was allowed to be her regular costumer. Rodney did that for his friends.

He pulled out his cell phone as he slowly trailed behind the couple and dialed up the pimp. It took several rings before he finally answered in his deep, gruff voice,

"What?" The angry, powerful pimp answered.

"It's Dausset," he replied. Rodney would know him instantly; he was a frequent-flyer of sorts, though Rodney never gave any rewards for such loyalty.

"Oh yeah, ya ol' son-of-a-bitch! Whataya want?" He could sense the famous cheshire-cat grin and knew instantly that he would get what he wanted.

He proceeded to tell all that he had seen and it clearly made Rodney angry. Beyond angry, he was _furious_!

"Ya stay with 'em till I get there! Ya here?" he shouted and hung up before he could get a response.

He nodded despite no one being there to see it; it was merely an ingrained reaction to a forceful order. Staring out at the two would-be lovers engaged in an obviously intense conversation, a sick feeling formed in the pit of his stomach. Sitting in alleys was certainly not a safe thing to do. Shaking away that thought, he focused on his beautiful angel and smiled greedily, he would have her and he would have her _soon_.

* * *

**Teehee! I think I'm really funny just leaving you hanging here! This was actually kind of disturbing to write! Like ugh! I need to bathe! LOL I know it may be a little confusing…if it's too confusing please tell me so that I can take it down and write a better one! But I figured making this guy nameless would just add to his freakiness….I don't know when I'll update next but I will try and get it done as soon as possible. Ciao Bellas! **


	12. Nick of Time

It Happened One Night

~ Nick of Time – 11:30 pm ~

_I am floating through the weightless clouds; I, too, am weightless. Am I a body or am I merely a soul? Is this what death feels like – a gliding of the heart and soaring of the mind sensation, which ripples inside of you and births a sense of invisibility? The sun must have risen, for I feel a, sudden, incredible warmth wash over my face. I feel like flailing my arms wildly and shouting "Heaven! I have found Heaven!", but as I go to do so, something changes within me. _

_No longer and I floating, but sinking – further and further into myself as the numbness of drowning engulfs me. Where is the sun? What happened to the stars? The weight of my own self is paralyzing me. I can do nothing but allow this frightening illusion to take hold. _

My eyes sprang open as a sharp "zing" of pain traveled along my nerves and swam in my veins. My breathing forced large boulders to thud against my ribcage, muscle spasms ignited an inferno within my limbs, and the concrete bellow savagely sliced at my over-sensitized skin. I was vaguely aware of the sticky, thick liquid which languidly trailed down my face, occasionally pooling at my mouth so that I could taste its salty flavor.

Confusion sprung a panic as I could not recall just why I was in such deep agony. Something was trying to penetrate the cloudy perplexity, but it was not strong enough to create a successful blow. Instead, a haunting shadow hovered above me in the empty alley.

_The alley! I am lying in a dirty, deserted alley. It was our refuge from the darkness of the city's filth. Me and… I was not alone, not like am I now. But who was I with? Where are they now? _

The ground's iciness soothed my simmering skin; likewise the frigid air that surrounded me nursed the soon-to-be bruised battle marks. A sudden thought occurred to me that I did not always welcome the glacial weather; in fact, I rather despised it once.

_She was so cold, her tiny body could not handle the strain of the frosty wind, and I intended to bring her someplace warm, someplace safe. Instead I brought her here, the stage to which the play of Chaos was set. _

_Vivienne – they took Vivienne. _

The fog lifted, reality snapped back into focus. In a moment of complete stupidity, I tried to rise and rescue my angel.

"Fuck!" I hissed as the pain flashed once more from my toes to hairline.

I was fucking useless at this point. It was all so hopeless…so fucking hopeless…

_You don't deserve her. You're fucking pathetic. She wouldn't give up if it was you, yet here you stand (or rather lie) throwing any ounce of possibility out the window. You don't deserve her! She could be dying you piece of shit! Get up! Get up and go get her! Get up! GET THE FUCK UP! _

Determination washed over the anguish and, like a phoenix from the ashes, I began to rise. My legs wobbled, I could barely stand, let alone walk – let alone run. I squeezed my eyelids shut as I forced the torture to the back of my mind and focused on putting one foot in front of the other.

_You've got it Teddy! Look at you! You've got it! _I heard my dad's voice croon with pride. How many times had he watched that silly home video of my first steps with tears in his eyes? I was grateful for the encouragement and held fast to the memory.

My concentration lapsed as my left leg twitched violently. I stilled and counted up to and back down from a hundred, waiting for the spasms coursing through my battered body to cease. Surprisingly, I found it easier to move once I started up again. My legs weren't broken, my arms moved rather fine, it was just the middle part of me that was stiff, but I could go on. And go on I did. Each step the equivalent of a mile and each breath the sensation of molten lava pouring down my lungs, but I would not rest now. _Keep moving_, I told myself. _Keep moving for her_; and with that thought, I envisioned her face as it was moments before the attack – a beautiful rosy hue coated her cheeks, her smile, so breathtaking, kept my head above water, and the playful sound of her giggles rang about the empty alley. The image pushed me harder and forced me to be stronger. I would see that gorgeous face again, I would once more listen to her soothing voice, and I would feel her skin beneath my finger tips at last – my love, my shining light. How could she become so precious to me in such a short amount of time? What lengths would I go to keep her? – Hell, I was strolling into Hell to retrieve her and I would do it a thousand times over.

I slowed as the strange shaking feeling passed through my body once more. My body braced itself for the harsh impact it was about to suffer on the pavement. My eyelids grew heavy and everything seemed to be going black. My ears rang with an oddly familiar melody; an angel from above was singing me to sleep: _And that's why birds do it, bees do it, even educated fleas do it! Let's do it, let's fall in love…_

* * *

Vivienne was not dead, _yet_. In fact, the moment she was dragged from Teddy's decrepit form and into that dark, foul-smelling car, she knew she was not going to survive the night. Teddy couldn't come and save her – _he's probably dead by now_, she thought mournfully. _I shall see you soon my love, I'll meet you on our moon._

Those morbid thoughts, however, did not make her weak. The part of herself in which she kept locked in a steel cage, who secretly wanted to stop all of the abuse – was finally unleashed. Fight she did! Even after the bone-breaking punches and skin-tearing slaps were delivered, she still struggled for freedom. Teddy had seen something in her worth saving, and she was determined to not let his quest end in vain.

She screamed, clawed, bit and spit on all the faceless monsters who tried to subdue her. She wasn't going to give in, not now while the end was approaching. She figured that if she was destined to die anyways, she might as well go out with a bang – an unforgettable bang.

The car screeched to a sudden halt; it was hardly still before Rodney was dragging her through the heavy door that groaned in protest when forced open. The other girls were nowhere to be found; they had all locked themselves tight into their rooms to escape their pimp's wrath. Despite their beliefs that God had forgotten their names and had already shipped them to the Devil, they prayed for mercy on the green-eyed fallen angel. They all saw the fragments of her broken soul clinging desperately onto life in her eyes, something they had lost a long time ago. If anyone had a chance at happiness it was her.

_Please God…_

_Help her dear Lord…_

_Forgive me for bringing her here! Punish me, God! Not her!_

The struggling ceased and an infinite moment's silence passed over them all. It was a moment of both hope for deliverance and for anticipation of the final attack. They waited…

And waited…

Suddenly, a sharp scream pierced the air. Their hope shattered. The burning bush would not ignite, the plagues would not arise, and the green-eyed girl would not be brought into the land of milk and honey. With that scream one soul died and, with it, any optimism for life beyond the filthy apartment was forgotten. This would be all that consisted of their lives, fucking and slowly, slowly dying.

They did not know of how hard she resisted. As each new heavy body crushed her much smaller frame and forcefully ravaged her, she tirelessly attempted to scramble away. No thought passed through her mind but that one voice who harshly hissed to _scream and fight_! She listened.

She lolled her head to the side – the window was closed shut. It was up to her now. She had to save herself. But it became so hard to hold onto her determination as each blow weakened her body's ability to battle. Victory was impossible.

_Keep going_, the voice begged.

She obeyed.

Time stretched on forever as the pain increased and the flood of darkness coated over her. _What a horrible way to die,_ she thought to herself.

She sensed the tears leaking from her eyes, but she could not understand their source. Why was she crying? Was it not always meant to end this way? She once more rolled her head to view the window. The full moon stared back at her, it looked so unreachable._ I won't ever see him again. I never belonged in his world – in this one or the next._ She thought somberly and she understood why she was weeping.

…

She heard the bells chiming and was instantly catapulted back to happier, much brighter, days of her youth. Pops would hobble around pretending to be the misshapen Quasimodo of Note Dame and lift the squealing girl into the air. "Sanctuary! Sanctuary!" He would cry. Esmeralda was saved!

Much later she would learn Hollywood and Disney loved to fabricate classic novels in order to produce the "happily that -ever-after" ending. Like the Esmeralda of Hugo's genius, there would be no sanctuary for her – the undesirable beauty. Her chance for love and happiness had gone away. She could only now pray that her death would be swift one.

For how long she lay curled in a fetal position on that accursed bed, she knew not. It could have been seconds or hours, though it felt like years. Someone had come in before…they wiped the blood from her battered body before covering her nakedness. _What's the point in it?_ she thought,_ he'll come back for more. _Her attendant was silent, offering no encouraging words or empathetic apologies. After all, had she not brought this upon herself? She deserved far worse than what she had gotten. Knowing this, she lay in wait for the real torture to begin, only this time she would not fight back. She had killed Teddy and now she would pay the price. Let the devil himself strike down upon her for nothing could harm her any more.

The ache in her cœur had consumed her entirely. The only boy she had ever loved was gone because of her. She had forever ruined his promising life with her revolting kisses and touch. _Gone, gone, gone… _

She stiffened slightly as she heard a moaning creak echo throughout her room. This was it…it was all over now. She clenched her eyelids tight before her body fully resigned to its fate.


End file.
